Jimmy Neutron and the Xyzcek Aden
by JTOM
Summary: The end is coming- and soon. As things begin to spin into chaos, Jimmy finds himself confronted by old enemies, and an old rival. - J/C S/L Rated T
1. Prologue

_Prologue: Jimmy Neutron and Sally Proton_

_Jimmy opened his eyes, only to be blinded by the incredible light. Slowly the lights began to dull, and form the shapes of his surroundings. He was laying facedown on a platform of gold and silver, swirls like a million incredible black holes stuck close together. Jimmy gulped, and turned his attention away from the floor- and to the sky._

_There were so many stars. More than he had ever seen in one place. Some of the were clustered so tight together they almost appeared to be one, and some of them were spread out far between each other. Clouds of pink and purple mist seemed to cover large portions of it- somehow making the stars seemed to shine all the brighter. They were bursting with life._

_Jimmy sat up, and noticed just how narrow the platform of gold and silver was. It seemed to stretch on ahead, but he couldn't see anything in the distance but more stars. Frowning for a second, he glanced down the side of the platform. Sure enough, all he could see was more stars._

_Where ever this was- it definitely wasn't Earth._

_"Of course it isn't Earth, Neutron." he muttered to himself. "But it isn't Earth, then... where am I" he wondered out loud._

_"__**Jimmy Neutron.**__"_

_Jimmy felt his heart skip a beat. That voice... _

_The space in front of him suddenly began to warp and pulse. The vision of the infinite planets and stars of space was suddenly being blocked, by a giant black square standing in front of him. Jimmy noticed the platform begin to bend and twist as well, and decided to take a step back._

_And there, standing as if it had been there the entire time- and it very well could have been- was a giant pillar of light. Made of every color his eyes could fathom. And all of them seemed to be moving around, as if the palace were building itself right in front of him. At first it turned into a cylinder of color, and then all around it others began to twist around it, one after another. Slowly but surely, the additions began to stop, but it didn't stop the movement._

_Jimmy clenched his teeth. He could feel something... somewhere. Something was telling him to step towards it. Jimmy took a long and deep breath. And with that, he took a step forward._

_The movement stopped instantly. And then the long cylinders of light began to squeeze tighter against each other, finally stopping when it took the shape of what looked like... a giant vine-covered tree. Of light. And rainbow color._

_"__**Calm down... show offs.**__"_

_The tree split all the way down the middle, sending waves of light all across the space around him. From the middle, he could mak out the shape of a person. Jimmy squinted._

_The person was about his age, but slightly taller- which causes something deep down inside of him to grumble something about how he just hadn't hit a growth spurt yet. The person was probably a girl- if the twin pig tails were anything to go by. The silhouette slowly began to appear more... solid. As the lights around it began to fade away._

_And with that- Jimmy could make out a face. She was definitely a girl. And definitely his age. She was wearing a white shirt, and black pants with matching shoes. She was also draped in a white lab coat. Jimmy frowned at that- but it took him a second to register what was really odd about her._

_She was completely devoid of color. In other words- she was in black and white._

_Jimmy gulped._

_"__**Hello there, Jimmy Neutron. Do you remember me**__?" the girl asked._

_Jimmy felt a lump in his throat, so he shook his head instead._

_The girl smiled. "__**Good. Do you know why you have travelled here?**__" she asked._

_Jimmy nodded. "Y-... Yes. To save the universe." he answered._

_"__**Another good answer, Jimmy Neutron. Now- let me ask you again. Do you remember... my name?**__" she asked him, with a weak smile, and sad lonely eyes._

_Jimmy nodded. "Yes... I think I do now." he said. "Sally, right? Sally Proton."_

_The girl smiled and nodded. _

_"__**Finally.**__"_

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	2. Chapter 1

_Chapter One: Jimmy Neutron and the Billion Dollar Mission_

It had been a long time since Jimmy Neutron had last graced the Strych mansion with his presence. Almost two years now, in fact. Of course, Jimmy still had run ins with the young master of the mansion, Eustace Strych, every now and again. But that had kind of stopped after an incident involving hot fudge and bees. Jimmy knew to keep his guard up. After all, the butler invite that had arrived had his house a few hours ago could have easily been a trick by Eustace to lure him in on his home turf. Jimmy double checked his watch, and the emergency remote he had in his jeans pocket. With a long deep breath, Jimmy walked into the mansion. He was greeted with a moving floor, with arrows clearly marked on the walls- 'Toilets this way', 'Chamber of unimaginable torture for my enemies over there', 'Daddys office this way' and so on. Jimmy frowned. Who had decided to let Eustace be the one to write the signs? It was obviously his hand writing.

What- was that his punishment for one of the thousands of felonies he had committed, including trying to take over the world more than once?

Jimmy took another deep breath, and headed for the arrow labelled 'Daddys Office'. The grid for the moving floors was completely idiotic, so there were more than a few traffic jams on the way- but finally, after hours standing behind a particularly chubby butler who smelled like ciggerettes- Jimmy made it to the office of Mr Strych. Just in time for the appointment. The message delivery butler was right - it had been a good idea to show up a few hours early.

Jimmy knocked on the tall foreboding door labelled _'Strych Senior'_. When he heard a voice from inside tell him to come in, he opened the door and stepped into the office of the richest man in the world. Jimmy gulped. The walls were solid marble, with a collection of incredible paintings hanging off of them in solid gold frames. Hanging from the roof was a massive crystal chandelier. Jimmy wondered for a brief moment- whether it was indeed crystal, or actually made out of diamond. It wouldn't surprise him if it were.

"Ah, yes. Hello there Mister Neutron." an incredibly pompous voice filled the air.

Jimmy turned his attention away from the ceiling, and turned to face the owner of the voice- sitting in a big black chair, encrusted with every kind of jewel he could imagine. "Hello, Mister Strych." Jimmy greeted. Mister Strych was a tall looking man with black and gray hair- slicked back to look like either a business man or a supervillain. Jimmy couldn't quite tell. His eyes were a dull green, darker than his sons. And his teeth were all straight and white. Also unlike his son.

"I called you here today..." Mister Strych started, before taking out his pocket watch and staring at it for a few awkward seconds. "Because I require a favour." Jimmy nodded, and moved a hand to his wristwatch. After pressing a small button, the watch opened up to reveal a little screen. Jimmy turned his attention back to Mister Strych. "Does this have anything to do with your son, Eustace?" asked Jimmy.

Mister Stych nodded sadly. "Yes... he has... well..." Mister Strych trailed off. After a few awkward seconds, Mister Strych brought his hands to his face. "He has disappeared." he wailed, before bursting into tears. All of a sudden Jimmy felt more uncomfortable than he had ever felt before. "I-Is that so?" he stuttered, as one of the most powerful men in the world continued to wail in front of him.

"Y-yes, it is so-oooo..." he wailed. "I've tried everything, but every scan... I've looked everywhere. But the team says that not only is he nowhere on Earth... but... nowhere in this solar system." Mister Strych continued to sob for a few more incredibly awkward minutes, before finally regaining his composure. "Please, Jimmy. I know you and my son have had your troubles in the past... but he may very well be in incredible danger... please... I beg you..." said Mister Strych.

Jimmy looked into his eyes. There was so much sadness... and fear. Jimmy checked his wristwatch, despite already knowing what it was going to say. Sure enough, the word 'Truth' was flashing on the screen. Jimmy looked back up at Mister Strych, and cleared his throat. "I'll do it... Do you have any leads?" he asked. Mister Strych shook his head. "No... although I do believe he was planning to wreak a terrible revenge on you... Oh, how he loved to wreak things..." Mister Strych trailed off, and looked as if he were about to burst into tears again.

Jimmy quickly stood up. "Alright- I'll go now and- uh-... find Eustace. I'll um- see you when I find him, okay?" he asked.

Mister Strych nodded. "Oh, thank you so much, Jimmy. I won't forget this." he said. Jimmy nodded, and hurried out the door- and spent the next hour making his way out of Strych Manor.

* * *

The jetpack was in serious need of repairs. Unfortunately, Jimmy had been too busy recently to do anything about it. The hover car, too- it kept on being blown up, crashed and set on fire. Some times all at once, now that Sheen had arrived back from his short stay on Planet Zeenu. Actually, it seemed like a lot of his inventions were being destroyed more often now that Sheen was back. Jimmy frowned. He would have to have another talk with Sheen sooner or later.

Without a jetpack or a hover car- Jimmy was forced to use his legs to move himself around. And while it was probably much better for his cardiovascular system, it burned time quite a bit. What was once a five minute jetpack ride to Strych Manor had become about two and a half hours to get there, and another to get back. And it was exhausting. It also made stopping the weekly villain harder as well. What was the point of imprisoning them all in the late crustaceous era when they could all escape so easily?

Jimmy grumbled to himself, as he waited for the walk sign to turn green.

The League of Villains had been the last truly Earth threatening thing to happen... unless you counted Shirley, which was... more of a _Universe_ threatening thing. Either way, in the months after- not a lot had changed. Jimmy had turned thirteen, Sheen went missing for about a month and a half- and then came back with a talking monkey, and... that was about it. Other than the weekly villain threats, all was peaceful and normal in Retroville.

Well, there was... one, kind of... thing. But, Jimmy had resolved himself to ignore it until it went away. So much so that he had decided that he wasn't even going to _think_ her name anymore.

Nope.

Never again.

As Jimmy berated himself for letting his mind drift into that particular subject, the sun began to set, and Jimmy could feel the air begin to cool. Knowing that he needed to be back home before sunrise, he opened his watch and tapped a number into it.

"Hello? Discount Taxi Service. You pay us and you've gotta teeth back guarantee!" the voice on the other side of the line boomed. Jimmy winced. "Um, hello- This is Jimmy Neutron, at coordinates-" started Jimmy, only to be interrupted by the voice on the other end of the line. "Woah- woah, hold up- Jimmy Neutron! Your banned from this taxi service! Go bother some other business you punk!"

Jimmy frowned. "What? Banned? For what?" he exclaimed. The voice on the other end of the line snorted. "For what? _For what?_ Try destroying three cars, endangering the lives of my drivers countless times, and making one of them think he's a duck!" the voice bellowed.

"I told you- I can fix that if you'll just let me-"

"Save it, kid! I know who you are. Your in the newspaper practically every day because of something you've destroyed, or crashed- or turned into a ravenous monster! You should be in a prison cell for the things you've done to this town!" the voice continued to rant on, for another ten or twenty minutes before Jimmy finally interrupted. "Well, it's a shame you think that. Goodbye." and with that, Jimmy closed his watch and terminated the call.

Jimmy took a long deep breath. That was unpleasant... and it was another unwelcome reminder of the thing that he didn't want to think about. Jimmy rubbed his eyes, and kept on walking. Goddard needed to be in the lab in case anybody tried to break in while Jimmy was gone- so there was nothing to be done. He just had to grit his teeth, and keep going.

"I'm going to be sore tomorrow..." he muttered to himself.

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	3. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two: Jimmy Neutron and the Three Amigops_

Jimmy woke up some time in the afternoon of the next day. With a bad taste in his mouth, and his entire body damp with sweat, he slowly made his as out bed, and into the bathroom. Still half asleep, Jimmy used his laser tooth brush, combed his hair with the help of the 'Barbo-matic Helmet v12', sprayed himself with a 'Shower in a Can', and got changed.

His outfit had only one difference in the past few months, and that was the addition of his lab coat worn over his red shirt, with the buttons open so the yellow atom symbol could still be seen. It had started when he accidentally wore it school, and found that nobody noticed. Now, he wore it everywhere. In the Candy Bar, and... in the lab. Well, they were the only places he ever really went too besides school.

Now dressed and mostly awake, Jimmy walked down stairs, waved a quick hello to his parents and walked out the back door and towards his beloved club house. Jimmy pulled out a long strand of hair from his head, and held it up to the red light just beside the doorway. The light scanned it, and then a small panel came out from beneath it. It looked like a small silver coin, with a thumb tack in it. Jimmy grit his teeth, and stuck his thumb into it. The needle poked in just enough to draw blood. Jimmy winced. "Thumb print and blood test confirmed. Welcome home, Jimmy." greeted Vox. "Good morning, Vox. I'll take the welcome mat entrance, thank you." said Jimmy. And with than, the welcome mat underneath Jimmy's feet suddenly disappeared, and Jimmy was sent falling down a long and complicated series of tubes, until he finally made it far underground and into his lab.

Jimmy fell face first into the security mattress that he had installed after falling face first into the cold floor more than a few times. Sitting himself up, he was tackled almost instantly by Goddard, who quickly began to lick Jimmys face while he was down. "Alright, alright- down boy. I'm glad to see you too." said Jimmy.

Once Goddard had crawled off of Jimmy's chest, he stood on hind legs and let out a low pitched whine. Jimmy put his hands in his lab coat pockets and pulled out a can of Purple Flurp. "Okay, here boy." said Jimmy as he threw the can into the air. Goddard stretched his neck out and caught the can in mid air.

"Bark! Bark!"

Jimmy slowly made his way to his workbench, where he started work on his jetpack. He really needed to fix it as soon as possible, and... Jimmy frowned. "Is this... Purple Flurp in the circuits?" he muttered to himself, holding a handful of wires and metal up to the light. "It is! puckin' Pluto! It looks like the sugar ate through almost all of the critical wiring... I'll probably have make new ones from scratch..." he grumbled. As Jimmy started looking around for the right materials, he remembered something. Something he had promised to do...

"Oh- Vox! Run a planet wide search for Eustace Strych!" Jimmy commanded, leaving the workstation for the time being and taking his seat in front of the computer.

"Searching... searching... Life form not found." said Vox.

Jimmy frowned. He knew that Eustace had access to the kind of technology needed to go into outerspace- he had raced him to Mars before after all, but he couldn't believe that Eustace would venture outside of the solar system... for any reason. "Vox? Can you run a scan through the solar system?" he asked.

"Negative... the scanner is only able to reach a length of approximately eight thousand miles." said Vox. Jimmy nodded. "Okay... can you download your scanning software into Goddard in... an hour? I'll provide some hardware upgrades... Oh! How updated is the Strato XL?" he asked.

"Commencing upgrades for the Strato XL now. In ten minutes it will be up to date." said Vox.

Jimmy smiled and thanked his computer, before getting to work on scanner upgrades for Goddard. He left the main lab in search of any spare parts he could find. If he couldn't find enough- he would probably have to take apart some of the inventions that were gathering dust on the shelf.

Wiping beads of sweat off of his forehead, Jimmy got to work.

* * *

"Alright... and, that's it! You can stand up now, Goddard." said Jimmy. Goddard stood himself up and shook himself like a dog who had just been doused in water. "Are you okay, Boy?" asked Jimmy.

"Bark! Bark!" Goddard responded, cheerfully.

An hour of welding was nothing compares to the dozens of hours he would usually spend on an invention. Or a ship. As he slowly collected everything he would need for a long trip in outer space- mostly Purple Flurp and potato chips- he thought back the longest build he had ever done. It was supposed to be a present for Betty Quinlins birthday party. And, naturally- after spending almost a month with little to no sleep working on it- he found out that he hadn't been invited. Jimmy knew logically- that given his past history with attending birthday parties or just parties in general- that whenever he was in attendance things tended to go up in flames. Sometimes literally.

But... it still hurt. Jimmy sighed, and tried to force his mind on to other things. He felt like he had been a little too preoccupied with human relations recently. Most likely due to the effects of puberty. He had thought- breifly- about altering his hormones to a more manageable degree. But he had decided against it. Plus- it had some fairly odd effects on Carl. First it almost turned him into a girl- and then it turned him into a llama. So, Jimmy thought, maybe messing with hormones was a little too dangerous. Once Jimmy was ready, and had everything safely stored in the rocket- he heard a familiar door bell chime echo throughout the lab.

"Unidentified life forms attempting to gain access to the Lab" said Vox. "Is it Carl and Sheen?" asked Jimmy. "Scanning... ... ... It is Carl and Sheen." said Vox. Jimmy smiled. "Let them in please." he said.

With that, there was a low beep, and the sounds of Carl and Sheen screaming down the maze of pipes could be heard rattling throughout the lab. Suddenly, they burst out of a hole in the ceiling- landing directly on top of Jimmy with a loud 'Bang!'.

"You are currently standing where they are expected to land, Jimmy." said Vox. Jimmy groaned. "It's a little late for that, thank you... Vox" he grumbled.

"Aw, man- that never stops being awesome!" yelled Sheen. "Yeah, I geuss... but do you have to yell so loud? My ears hurt..." said Carl. "Come on, Carl! You were yelling much louder than I was!" yelled Sheen. "Nuh-uh, you were the one that did the yelling. I had to cover up my ears..." grumbled Carl. "You were covering up your ears because you were yelling so loud, right Jimmy?" asked Sheen.

Sheen, turned around- only to find that the lab was apparently empty. "Oh... It looks like he's not here." said Sheen. "Oh... do you think we missed him? Maybe he already went on out on some big adventure in outer space..." Carl trailed off, disappointment clearly evident in his voice. "What!? Come on! You know- this wouldn't have happened if Mr Nesmith didn't make us pick out his outfit for his date!" yelled Sheen.

"Oh yeah... who is he-" Carl started, only to be interrupted by the angry voice of somebody lying squashed underneath them. "Get off of me..." growled Jimmy. Sheen looked down, to find that he and Carl were lying directly on top of Jimmy. "Oh, there you are, Jimmy! What're you doing lying on the floor? Is that some kind of new hobby of yours or something?" asked Sheen. "You shouldn't lie on the floor, Jimmy. It's bad for your posture and-" started Carl.

"NOW!" yelled Jimmy. Carl and Sheen quickly stood themselves up, and helped their friend to his feet. After dusting himself off, Jimmy turned to face them. "So- what can I help you with?" he asked. Sheen shrugged. "I dunno- we were bored, so we thought we'd come and see if you were going to go on another adventure soon." he said. Carl nodded. "Hopefully one in Shangri-Llama..." he said.

Jimmy smiled. "Well, gentlemen. It just so happens that I'm on my way to a mission right now. Sent directly from Mister Strych himself." he announced. Carl and Sheen glanced at each other. "Hey- whose Mister Strych?" asked Carl. "Don't you know anything, Carl? He's the guy on the bucket of fried chicken." explained Sheen. "Ooooh, Okay... So- we're going on a mission for the guy who invented chicken?" asked Carl. Sheen rolled his eyes. "Well, obviously."

Jimmy cleared his throat. "Actually- Mister Strych is the richest man on the planet-" he heard Sheen mutter 'See? chicken money' under his breath to Carl, but chose to ignore it. "And he also the father of Eustace Strych." Jimmy paused, to make room for Carl and Sheens reaction. He was expecting something along the lines of 'Your trying to find one of your mortal enemies!?' but instead...

"Who?" asked Sheen. Carl nodded, as if he were agreeing with Sheens question.

Jimmy sighed. "You know... Eustace Strych... the billionaire boy?" he asked.

Carl scratched his head. "The wrestler?" he asked. Jimmy shook his head. "No... you remember... he tried to win Goddard in a dual with his own robot?" he asked. Carl and Sheen shook their heads.

"He tried to crown himself King of Mars?"

"Wasn't that the egg guy?" asked Sheen. "No- it was, um... the big green gassy guy... uh Junkster something..." said Carl. Jimmy sighed again. "No- the kid with brown hair... and big buck teeth?" asked Jimmy. Carl and Sheen still looked lost. "You mean, Timmy? You finally decided to hunt Timmy down and take all his powers for yourself- thats cooold blooded." said Sheen.

Jimmy rubbed his eyes. "No... First of all- Timmys power comes from Cosmo and Wanda- and I'm not interested in stealing someone else's technology. Eustace Strych is-"

"Ooooh, You mean Eustace strych- the kid with the weird laugh who tricked Cindy and betrayed her like... twice." exclaimed Sheen. Jimmy pretended he didn't hear a certain name come out of Sheens mouth, and nodded gratefully. Carl nodded too. "Oh yeah... the one with the really annoying voice... I remember... didn't you lock him away forever, Jimmy?" he asked.

"Yes, but unfortunately- much like Professor Calamitous, he managed to escape. I'm geussing that all of the others managed to do the same." said Jimmy. "Oh, so that's why you've been getting attacked more often that usual.." said Sheen as he rubbed his chin (or lack there of) in thought. "So! When can we get started?" he asked, rubbing his hands together.

"Right away, if you like. I'll have Vox call your parents." said Jimmy.

Sheen raised his fists into the air. "Woohoo! Alright! FInally, a real adventure!" Sheen bellowed. "Shee-een! Do you have to be so loud?" asked Carl, rubbing his ears gingerly. "WHHHAAAATT!?" yelled Sheen.

Jimmy couldn't hide his smile. It had been too long since he had last seen his best friends. Things had gotten a bit complicated recently- what with Sheen returning after his absence and all. Actually, Sheen probably didn't even know why Jimmy wasn't speaking with... her, anymore. It would probably be better if it stayed that way.

After fitting the side-cars onto the Strato XL, everybody- including Goddard was ready for lift off. As the roof to the lab opened up, and rockets engines began to ignite, Jimmy, Carl, Sheen and Goddard did the count down all together.

"Three! Bark!

"Two! Bark!"

"One! Bark!"

"Blast off! Roooowwwr!"

The ship shot out of the lab, and blasted off into the sky. Past the clouds and out of the planets atmosphere- Until finally- the Amigops were back in outer space.

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	4. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three: Jimmy Neutron and the Great Metal Eye Part 1_

"Space, the final frontier. So vast... so empty... so very... very... boooring."

Jimmy frowned. "You didn't have to come with us you know, Sheen." he said. Sheen shook his head. "Sure I did, Jimmy. What if we get attacked by space monkeys, or moon pies? Or some kind of giant floating eye that shoots lasers and also it's a black hole?" he asked.

"Quiet, Sheen. You'll scare Carl." said Jimmy.

"No, I won't he fell asleep hours ago." said Sheen. Jimmy turned around, and sure enough- found Carl fast asleep in his side of the rocket. Jimmy sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. But we should have found Eustace by now... I managed to increase the range of the scanner by almost a thousand times, but we're still not finding any trace of him." he said. "Right Goddard?" Goddard nodded, and turned back around to continue scanning.

By now, they had gone far out of the solar system, and had just begun to approach a cluster of planets that Jimmy had never even been to before. It was beginning to look more and more... concerning. Although Jimmy might have hated Eustace Strych, he didn't want to have to go back to his father and tell him that he had failed.

It was time to call in some help.

Jimmy opened his watch and typed in a long complicated number. He was just about to press the call button, until he noticed that Sheen was leaning almost his entire body over his shoulder. "Who're you calling?" he asked. Jimmy shuddered, as Sheens breath tickled the back of his neck. "Could you not do that?" he asked. Sheen tilted his head to the side like a curious puppy. "Do what?" he asked. Jimmy sighed and shook his head. "I'm calling April." he said. "Ooh, ask her if she has a spicy older sister or something." said Sheen, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Jimmy flinched at being so close to his face while he did that. "Are- aren't you and Libby..." Jimmy trailed off, as Sheen shook his head. "Nu-uh. She said that disappearing for a few months was a, uh- 'Dealbreaker'." he explained. "Oh... I'm... Sorry..." said Jimmy. Sheen shrugged. "It's okay, Jimmy. I'm sure she'll give me a chance in, like five years or something." said Sheen. Jimmy raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think that?" he asked. "Well, 'cuz she said she'd give me another chance in five years or something." Sheen explained.

"Well... thats good. I hope... you guys work it out." Jimmy said with a smile. He meant it. Sheen cleared his throat. "Um, Jimmy? D-do you mind if I ask about... Cindy?" he asked. The smile instantly disappeared from Jimmy's face and was replaced by a grimace. "I do... but... ask anyway." he said.

"Okay... what's the deal with you and Cindy?" he asked.

"We fought. We're no longer friends." said Jimmy, his voice sounding more agitated than he meant it to. "Oh... okay... bummer..." muttered Sheen. The two friends sat there in awkward silence (save for Carls obnoxious snoring) for a full minute, until another voice chimed in.

"Um, Jimmy Neutron? Did you call me just so I could see you and your comrade bond?"

Jimmy glanced down at his watch, and jumped when he saw April on the screen. "Oh! A-April, why hello! Um- sorry about that..." said Jimmy. "You are having trouble with your mate?" she asked. Upon seeing Jimmy grimace, she decided to change the subject. "Where are you, Jimmy Neutron?" she asked.

"Well, I'm just beyond the Yolkus sector now... Um, I-" Jimmy started only to be interrupted by a fierce snarl from April. "Beyond Yolkus! Jimmy Neutron! You must be carefull... I have been trying to reach you on your planet- Something very bad is-" and with that, Aprils transmission was suddenly cut, replaced with static. Jimmy tapped the number in again, but he couldn't get through. He tried another number- but still, nothing.

Jimmy gulped. "Sheen... I don't think your going to be bored much longer." he muttered. Sheen nodded furiously. "Uh-huh. Look. Theres that giant eye, thing I was talking about." he said with a terrified gulp, pointing above them. Jimmy looked up, and sure enough- there was a massive silver eye floating above them. There were hundreds of bright lights in the middle of it, making it look like a pupil.

And then, it blinked- with a massive steel eyelid.

"Wow... that's new."

All of a sudden, a massive red beam shot out of the pupil. Jimmy braced for impact- but it never came. He opened his eyes again, to find the entire ship bathed in a bright red light. It wasn't a laser... it was a tractor beam.

"AAAAH! We're being pulled into a black hole! Jimmy! Do something! CARL! STOP SNORING!" Sheen bellowed. Carl stirred a little. "Wh- black hole... AAAAH! WERE BEING ATTACKED!" he screamed. Jimmy was pressing every button on the ship- but there was no response. Jimmy took a deep breath, and assessed the situation. And then...

"We're being pulled in!" he bellowed. Goddard began to howl, as they finally disappeared into the pupil of the giant metal eye.

* * *

Everything was hazy. Jimmy could remember feeling a sharp jab of pain once they had entered the eye... and then... nothing. He felt a small burn mark on his forehead. "Electrocuted?" he muttered to himself. It was dark- but he could tell that he was in a cell. He reached out in front of him, and sure enough- felt a pair of thick metal bars. Suddenly, they began to heat up. Jimmy quickly took his hands off before the bars began to grow red with heat- and then slowly fade back to their usual color.

They were touch sensitive. This wasn't good.

From behind him, Jimmy could hear somebody snickering... He recognized it instantly. "Well, well, well- if it isn't tiny little Jimmy Neutron. You've come crawling into my trap just as I knew you would." Jimmy turned around, was met by the glowing green face of King Goobot. He looked just like Jimmy remembered. A pile of green goo with eye stalks, in an egg shaped robot covered with gold and jewels- and a glass dome to see out of. But- no crown.

Goobot grinned."Now, I shall take my revenge on you- Jimmy Neutron!" he bellowed. Jimmy blinked. "Why are you in the cell with me?" he asked. Goobot stopped mid-laugh. "U-Umm... what do you mean?" he asked. "I mean, what are you doing in this cell with me- if this is _your_ trap?" asked Jimmy.

King Goobot blinked and scratched the back of his... head? As he glanced around nervously. "What? N-no... this is all a part of... my plan. Um, I'm going to... uh... Oh, I know!" he announced, as he suddenly lunged at Jimmy. Jimmy was caught off guard, and found himself with his arms behind his back in Goobots robotic hands, being pushed into the metal bars. He could already feel them starting to heat up.

"I'm going to grill you here, Jimmy Neutron! I will cook you... just like you did to me!" Goobot screeched. Jimmy struggled with his wrists if he could just... He grit his teeth. "Cook you? When did I _cook_ you?" he asked. King Goobot growled. When you left me in floating in space... And you drove over me... the boosters fried me as you went past..." he hissed.

Jimmy chuckled, as the bars started to get hot enough to start hurting. "R-really? Sunny side up?" he muttered. Goobot was shaking with rage. "You... you little..." he muttered to himself. Jimmy stretch his fingers out as far as they could. He just hoped that whoever it was that had put him there... had left his wristwatch on. Just a little...

"There!" he yelled. The wristwatch laser shot out, and into Goobots arm. His grip weakened, and Jimmy quickly pushed himself off of the bars and in one motion, circled around Goobot and with all the strength he had left, pushed Goobot face first into the bars. Goobot shrieked. "My arm! My precious arm! You've destroyed it!" he yelled. Jimmy grunted in response, as the metal bars began to glow red with heat.

"Wait! Jimmy! Stop! Stop pressing my helmet against these bars! Please! I've seen robots melt like yolk-wax gripping these things!" he screamed. Jimmy could feel the bars beginning to press into King Goobots helmet. "Do you want to engage a peace treaty?" asked Jimmy. "Yes! Yes! Just please let me go!" Goobot whimpered. Jimmy sigh, and pulled Goobot off of the bars. There were three indentations in Goobots helmet from where the bars had started to melt it.

Jimmy pushed Goobot away, and sat down.

"Do you know what this place is?" gasped Jimmy, as he wiped the long beads of sweat out of his eyes. "This... place... Is..." Goobot seemed to be thinking fairly hard about how he chose his words. "A... death prison." he finally finished.

Jimmy frowned. "Oh... Heisenberg..." he muttered.

"My sentiments, exactly."

* * *

The next few hours crawled by at a snails pace, as Jimmy continued to pump Goobot for information, and Goobot seemed to take almost ten minutes to decide whether to answer or not. Jimmy's wristwatch seemed to have been crushed during his struggle with King Goobot- but of course Jimmy didn't mention that out loud. Just in case he needed something to bargain with later.

Jimmy took a deep breath in, and out. "How long have you been here, Goobot?" asked Jimmy. "And give me the truth this time." King Goobot had been sulking in the corner of the cell for a while now. At the sound of Jimmys voice, he flinched. "Oh... your still here? Shouldn't you be running off with your little friends right about now?" he hissed.

"And how do you suppose I do that? I don't even know where Carl and Sheen are." said Jimmy. King Goobot huffed. "Oh, but you _will_ find a way, won't you? You always find a way. That's why I hate you little goody goody jelly sacks..." he grumbled. "Oh, its so easy for you- all you have to do is escape. I plan for weeks, months and years in advance! And what do I get? You little things scampering away- locking me away with those degenerates..."

"How did you escape?" asked Jimmy. If King Goobot had an eyebrow to raise he surely would have. "Oh? You don't know? Well, well, well... how very interesting..." he snickered.

Jimmy briefly thought about holding King Goobots head against the bars again until he told him what he wanted- but he quickly decided against it. Torture and scare tactics were the kind of thing King Goobot and Eustace Strych were in to. No... if he was going to escape, he had to be smart...

He had to think.

Jimmy closed his eyes tightly, and tried to force every part of his brain to focus on one thing... on one... little... thing... Jimmy opened his eyes. Nothing. No brain blast.

Now that Jimmy thought of it... it had been a long time since he had been forced to produce one... maybe he couldn't do it anymore... Jimmy gulped. He had always been afraid that somehow, the hormones swirling around in his brain as he entered puberty would begin to affect his ability to think. Could this... be it? Jimmy grit his teeth. No. He couldn't let himself get distracted.

Jimmy glanced at King Goobot- who was still cradling his broken arm. And then- it hit him.

"Brain blast!" he exclaimed, standing up on his feet. Goobot almost jumped out of his shell. "Wh-what? What was that?" he asked. Without so much as looking at King Goobot, Jimmy grabbed his broken arm, and ripped it out.

"AAAH! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" Goobot bellowed. "What? This is a robotic arm, isn't it? You didn't have any nerve endings attatched to it, did you?" asked Jimmy. "No- But you just ripped out my arm! Robotic or not- and what if I did have nerve endings attatched to it?" King Goobot yelled.

Jimmy shrugged, causing Goobot to spewing out a long string of curse words in an alien language. Jimmy understood some of it- and decided to ignore it. Bringing the arm and his broken wristwatch up to the bars, he carefully placed the arm against one of the metal bars. It started to heat up quickly. And as the bars started to glow red, Jimmy could see the metal of the arm start to melt. Unfortunately- it was getting too hot to hold on too anymore. Jimmy dropped it, and quickly got to work on his wristwatch.

Hours passed by much more quickly as Jimmy continued to weld the only pieces of technology he had- as King Goobot observed from the sidelines, every now and again taking time to berate Jimmy for belonging to such a 'idiotic species'.

After the third hour, it was ready. He held his new invention in his hands, and looked over at King Goobot. "This needs a power source to work." he explained. Goobot shrugged. "So?" he asked. "So give me your power source. You do have something in that robotic shell of yours thats giving it all power- correct? Give it to me." said Jimmy.

"What! Never! Why should I just give up everything and watch you escape?" yelled Goobot. "You can come too, Goobot." said Jimmy. Goobot huffed. "And why should I even consider trusting you on that?" he demanded. Jimmy sighed. "Look- I can fight you for it and then leave by myself- or your can give it up and come with me." he said.

King Goobot thought to himself for a minute, and then let out a loud angry roar. "FINE! But you tell _no one_ of this!" he bellowed. Jimmy rolled his eyes and nodded.

With his one good arm, Goobot pressed a few of the jewels on his chest plate- which turned out to be buttons. Then, a small white cube slid out of it on a little tray. And all of a sudden, Goobots body stopped floating- and landed with a heavy 'crash!' on the floor.

"Well... hurry up!" bellowed Goobot, a he tried to squirm his way out of the cracks in his helmet. Jimmy nodded, and put the cube into his new invention, and then- with a flick of the wrist, he shrunk himself, Goobot and his invention down to the size of an apple. "I present, the Neutronic Shrink Wand! This one has the added bonus of shrinking itself as well! Very hand for vacation trips or-" Jimmy said, before he noticed that King Goobot had already started slithering his way over to the metal bars. "Hey- wait! I didn't tell you about-" yelled Jimmy only to be interupted. "I don't care!" yelled Goobot.

Jimmy quickly caught up with Goobot, and scooped him up in his hands.

"What are you DOING!?" Goobot bellowed. "You'll take forever unless I carry you- let's go find Carl and Sheen." said Jimmy. King Goobot snorted. "You do what you want. I'm getting out of here."

"Do you have a plan on how to do that?"

"No..."

"Then shut up." Jimmy ordered, as he picked up the Shrink Wand, and slid past the metal bars.

_'I hope they're okay...' _thought Jimmy.

* * *

Read and Review... Please.


	5. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four: Jimmy Neutron and the Great Metal Eye Part Two_

Carl and Sheen were being walked down a long dark hallway, by a large alien with a big gun. The other prisoners started to yell at them in a language that neither of them understood- until they were finally led into their cells. With the cell closed and locked, the large alien with the big gun walked away.

Sheen stretched. "Alright Carl. I think I'm gonna take a nap. Wake me when Jimmy has rescued us." he said as he tried to find the most comfortable spot on the hard metal floor. "Shee-een! Didn't you see what happened? They knocked Jimmy out... they... took him away. He could be in danger!" exclaimed Carl. Sheen shrugged. "Aw, he'll figure out a way to escape. He always does, Carl."

Carl looked down at the floor and frowned. "I... I don't know, Sheen... Jimmy... hasn't been the same recently..." he muttered. Sheen sat against the wall with his hands behind his head. "He'll be fine, Carl. He always is." said Sheen. Carl shook his head. "I don't know Sheen... you weren't there... I- ... I've never seen Jimmy like that before..." Carl shuddered at the memory.

"Well he's okay now, right? He'll be back to normal soon enough. And- maybe he'll be a little different from now on... but he'll always be our friend, right?" asked Sheen. Carl nodded, and looked around. It was eerily dim. Carl walked up to the cell bars, and cleared his throat. "Helloooo, Jiiii-mmy? Are you out there?" he called. Carls voice echoed down the dark hallway.

"Hey, shut up over there!" came a voice from far down the hallway. "Some of us are trying to nap!"

"Yeah, Carl..." Sheen muttered. Carl ignored them both. "D- Does anybody know what this place is?" he asked. He could hear some grumbling among the other prisoners, until finally one voice cut across them all. "Well, well, well... if it isn't the friends of little Jimmy Neutron." echo'd a familiar voice.

Sheen stood up and walked over to Carl. "Hey- who is that?" yelled Sheen. "Right across from you... fools! Bwa- hahahaha!" the voice bellowed. Carl and Sheen squinted. They could make out another cell just in front of them- but they couldn't see anybody in it. "Are you invisible or something? That's cool. I know this one alien, he-" Sheen started, only to be cut off by an angry grunt from the voice across the hallway.

"You should be able too- Oh! Hang on a second..." the voice trailed off for a moment, and then all of a sudden, a bright green glow flashed from the cell across the hall. It looked like an egg shaped robot, float just above the ground, with a pile of now glowing green goo inside of it. The had two eye stalks, both of which were glaring at them.

Sheen scratched the back of his head. "Hmm... are you... a Yolk-guy?" he asked. The Yolkian glowered. "Of course I am you fools! *I* am Ooblar! Royal assistant to the King!" he declared. "Really? I don't remember you..." Carl trailed off when he noticed a hurt look in Ooblars eyes. "I- I mean of course! O-... Oob... bie... I- I remember, don't you Sheen?" asked Carl, nudging Sheen in the ribs. Sheen shook his head. "Nope- never. Are you sure you, uh- exist? Because I don't-"Carl nudged Sheen in the ribs even harder this time, and Sheen finally got the point.

"Oooh, right... the uh, guy in purple... How are you?" he asked. Ooblar huffed. "How am I? Well- I was weeping uncontrollably a few minutes ago- but now that I know you two are going to die too... Ooooh, I feel much better! Ahahaha-" said Ooblar, before bursting into tears. "I- I- don't wanna... Waaaaaah! I want my blankie! I WANT MY BLANKIE!" he screamed before collapsing to the floor- a quivering mess.

Carl went pale. "Wha- we're going to die here? Bu-... but... why?" he squeaked. Sheen shrugged and stuck his head between the metal bars. "Hey! DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHAT THIS PLACE IIIIS?" he called out, to no responce. Sheen sighed. "Alright, I didn't want to have to do this..." he muttered to himself. Sheen cleared his throat, and Carl took that as a cue to cover his ears as best he could.

"HOOOOME, HOOOME ON THE RAAAAANGE! WHHHHEEEERE THE DEEEER AND THE ANTELOPE PLAAAAAY" he bellowed. Every alien in a cell started screaming in pain. "SOMEBODY STOP HIIIM! IT BUUUURNS!" were among the variety of screams for mercy that were rattling the cages of the prisoners.

Sheen pouted. "You guys just don't understand my musical brilliance." he muttered to himself. "NOW, IS SOMEBODY GOING TO TELL US WHERE WE ARE- OR SHOULD I GO INTO THE ULTRALORD THEME?" he bellowed. "NOOO! PLEASE HAVE MERCY!" screamed the prisoner.

"Your on board the great eye of judgement!" yelled one of the prisoners. "Yeah- this is the place for all those considered sinners by the great metal eye to be kept behind bars, and incinerated." said another. Sheen pulled his head out from between the metal bars. "Ow-... that was getting hot..." he muttered.

Ooblar nodded. "Thats right- if you touch these bars you may very well find yourself incinerated before schedule..." he whimpered.

"Huh... bummer."

* * *

Jimmy ran down the dark hallway as fast as he could, while trying to hold on to both the pile of gelatinous ooze that was King Goobot- and the Shrink Wand. They were both back to their normal sizes after getting through the bars, and were trying to find their way around a maze of hallways. King Goobot was complaining that Jimmy wasn't running fast enough, and Jimmy was doing his best to ignore him.

He needed to find Goddard. Then, finding Carl, Sheen and the ship would be easy.

"This is taking far too long, Neutron." King Goobot grumbled. Jimmy slowed down to try and catch his breath. Goobot was right- this was looking to be impossible. From what Jimmy remember of the space station before he was sucked into it- it looked to have been the size of a planet. He could be running down hallways for weeks and die of dehydration before he found his friends. Jimmy gulped. With the amount of sweat that was pouring off of him- dehydration was looking like a real possibility.

Finally, Jimmy came to a stop in front of yet another row of empty cells. "I need more data... Goobot..." he huffed. "Just tell me what's going on here." Goobot frowned. He didn't want to tell him anything- working with any enemy, especially short and annoying ones, was too much for his pride to take. But if he refused, and Jimmy just left him on the floor of the hallway... he would be doomed. He had no choice.

"Fine!" he spat. "But only on one condition."

"What is it?" asked Jimmy. "Oh- that will come in time, Neutron. Now- do you agree?" asked Goobot. Jimmy let out a long tired sigh, and nodded. Jimmy had been forced to work with enemies before- most notably his blonde haired rival. But it didn't make it any easier. Because he was going to have to trust the word of a proven liar. He frowned. "If I find out you've provided even one shred of false information, Goobot- you will live the rest of your life in the South Pole, thinking your a penguin." Jimmy warned.

Goobot nodded his eye stalks. "This... is a space station." he said.

Jimmy nodded. There was a long awkward silence, eventually broken by Jimmy. "And?" he asked. "Don't be so impatient you big-headed pain! Now pay attention!" yelled Goobot. Jimmy rolled his eyes. Villains had a tendency to monologue- and he could tell that this was going to be a long one.

"This... is a space station." started Goobot, leaving another long pause for dramatic effect. "Owned, by the legendary 'Great Eye, Judge of the Universe'. This entire, plant sized station is shaped in his image. Supposedly, this place holds well over a trillion prison cells, of which roughly ten percent are currently housing the most vile creatures in the history of the universe. Grabble-Thur the Litterer, Velnex the Glutton- some of these creatures are thousands of years old. And responsible for unfathomable destruction." explained Goobot.

Jimmy nodded. Apparently, he had been right- this _was_ going to be a long one.

"This prison has been active for almost two hundred and fifty years now. In the begining, the Eye had a reputation for being just and fair in all of its judgements. But recently... that changed. I do not know what happened. But the Eye has grown... Arrogant. Self rightous. And most recently- the Eye has begun passing its judgements without a trial. And destroying entire planets for having any connection to what it considers a 'crime'. I was taken here to face trial for... a few silly little parking tickets- and it gave me a billion years in a sector of the jail, cut off from other prisoners. And..." King Goobot trailed off.

"Okay- why did it capture Carl, Sheen, Goddard and I? We haven't committed any crimes before..." Jimmy trailed off as he recalled a few instances of throwing his planet- and the universe in mortal peril. "I mean... I always fix it afterwards..." he muttered. King Goobot let out an angry noise. "You've caused enough damage to the universe to count as a high level offender- Jimmy Neutron. Do you know what they do, now, to high level offenders?" he asked.

Jimmy went pale. "The Earth..." he whispered to himself. "That will be just the beginning. Any creature you have come in contact with will be an accomplice. The Gorlocks, the Brains, the Needle-Heads... those bandits you've become so friendly with... none of them will be spared." he hissed. Jimmy couldn't hear Goobot anymore. There were too many things in his head at once. The faces of all the people he knew and loved. The countless number of creatures, human and alien- that could be about to meet there doom.

He couldn't let that happen. No matter what. He grit his teeth. His body was completely fatigued. So was his brain. He didn't heep track of how much time had passed- but it had probably been almost twelve hours. And between fight Goobot, building a complex gadget out of broken robotic parts and an alien power source- not to mention all the running... It was no wonder he had felt like giving up just ten minutes ago.

But that, was no longer an option. Jimmy closed his eyes. And concentrated everything on his mind. He had to make this work. "Come on... think... think..." he muttered to himself. He could feel a familiar tingle in the back of his head. Here it was...

There was a flash. All of a sudden, he could feel data passing by his eyes at tremendous speeds. He tried to focus it. Gathering every part of his brain power, and focusing it all on one thing.

"Brain blast!" he yelled. King Goobot looked annoyed. "Oh, terrific." he grumbled.

Jimmy turned around, and started running back the way he came- he had to make it back to the cell with Goobots robot body inside of it. He had an idea...

* * *

When Goddard powered on, he found himself lying on top of a massive pile of broken metal. His eyes scanned his surroundings, and then Goddard slowly stood himself up. The room was massive, and as far as he could tell- the only thing inside of it was broken scraps of metal. Suddenly, he felt everything in the room shift. Goddard crawled up to the top of the pile of scrap metal, and looked out in front of him. There were hundreds more piles of metal and garbage- and it was all sitting on a conveyor belt, heading towards a massive mouth of fire in the distance.

Goddard whined.

Quickly, he began to spin his thin metal ears around on his head- until they began to lift him into the air. Goddard flew close to the ceiling, and accessed the scanner that Jimmy had set up to find Eustace Strych. Quickly- he replaced Eustace's name for Jimmy's name- and started searching.

The scanner worked much like a radar. Sifting through a wide space, and reacting only to whatever DNA signature he was looking for. It took him a while- but Goddard finally found Jimmy on the other side of the space station. Goddard scanned the space station again, this time recording its layout in his brain. Suddenly, warning signals began to pop up all over his brain.

'Warning- Power Low, Recharge Immediately'. A small voice droned in his head.

Goddard growled, and landed back on top of the pile of junk. He needed to find a battery- there were thousands of broken robots lying underneath his feet- surely one of them had something... Goddard started digging through the metal with his paws, keeping a close eye on the ever approaching mouth of fire. The conveyor belt was moving slowly- and at its current speed, Goddard theorised that he would reach the fire in about fifteen minutes.

He had to hurry.

After a few long minutes, Goddard still hadn't found anything. But, he could sense something... Goddard dug deeper into the pile- until he finally came across a small golden tube. It was radiating tremendous amount of energy. Goddard picked it up in his mouth, and jumped off of the pile of junk- just as it made its way into the fire.

Quickly- Goddard switched to his emergency power. Then, he carefully pulled out his main battery. It had a few small cables attached to it for the purposes of recharging. Goddard whined nervously, as he connected his main battery to the alien tube. He knew that it definitely had power inside of it- but he couldn't tell what kind. Whatever it was- he just had to hope that it didn't just fry his circuits when he put his main battery back in place.

After a few long minutes- his main battery was charged. Goddard quickly unplugged it from the alien battery, and put it back into his body.

Now, he was ready to find Jimmy- and get out of there.

Suddenly, Goddard felt a buzzing in the side of his head. Somebody was calling his emergency phone. Goddard opened the line, and barked happily at the sound of his masters voice.

"Are you there, Goddard?" asked Jimmy over the static.

"Bark! Bark!"

"Good boy. Listen, I need you to find a way outside of this space station. It doesn't look like its possible to contact anybody on the outside from here. Then- I need you to contact April. Tell her we really need her help... and give her these coordinates. Okay, Goddard?" asked Jimmy.

"Bark!"

"Thank you, boy." and with that, the line cut out.

Looking at the schematics, Goddard noticed that the incinerator led into a mulcher- which led into an airlock, where all the garbage was jettisoned into space. Goddard gulped. This wasn't going to be pleasant.

With a high pitched whine, Goddard flew over to the mouth of fire- and slowly made his way inside. All he could see was fire. The heat had already started to make his body start to glow red. Goddard sped up- He had to make it past the mulcher before the heat started to affect his circuitry.

Goddard moved faster than he ever had before, as he made a mental note to contact somebody else after he relayed Jimmy's message to April. He had to clear things up with her. Just in case the dark feeling he swirling around his brain proved right. He couldn't let it end without her knowing the truth.

* * *

_To be continued..._

* * *

Read and Review, please.


	6. Chapter 5

_Chapter Five: Jimmy Neutron and the Great Metal Eye Part Three_

The Great Eye squinted at the trio of prisoners that were placed in front of him. The Eye was almost as big as a house, and bright silver. A group of long tentacles were spread out from all over it. The creature really was a giant eye. It blinked a massive eye lid. "What are you names?" it boomed.

Carl and Sheen stood in front of it- completely awestruck. When a few awkward seconds passed without them saying anything, Ooblar made a sound like he was clearing his throat. "Ahem- Greetings, oh magnificent and wonderful giant eye! I am Ooblar- of the planet Yolkus, and I-"

"I KNOW WHO YOU ARE!" The Eye's deep voiced rattled the entire room, shutting Ooblar up with a small whimper. "WHAT IS THIS FOOL DOING HERE! HE HAS ALREADY BEEN SENTANCED... TO DEATH!" it boomed. One of the big, burly aliens approached the eye looking noticeably scared. "We-well sir, the Yolkian insisted. As did the humans. They said that-"

The Eye shot a golden beam of light at the alien, vaporizing it instantly.

"Humans..." the Eye grumbled. "Tell me your names."

Carl fainted on the spot. Sheen gulped, and tried to keep himself from shuddering in fear. He failed. "U-u-um... I-I... Sh-Sheen... just an innocent... little... boy..." he muttered, as he helped Carl to his feet. Carl cleared his throat. "A-and... I'm Carl... I-I... I'm allergic to fish...and turtles... um... Jimmy helped me with my allergy to Llama's..." he trailed off as he crossed his legs to keep himself from... having an accident.

"You are humans, from the planet Earth- correct?" asked the Eye. Carl and Sheen nodded. "You have been accused of interfering with universal order. How do you plead?"

Sheen took a deep breath. "Uh... n-... not guilty?" he whimpered.

The entire room shook, as the Eye's iris began to glow a bright gold.

"I- mean... the opposite of what I said?" he asked.

The glowing stopped. "Very well. Sheen Guerrero Estevez and Carlton Ulysses Wheezer- you are sentenced to forty million cycles in this prison." It boomed. "You will _suffer_ for you crimes."

"And as for you- Yolkian." the Eye continued. "We have arrived at your planet. And we will be destroying it very soon."

Inside his robotic shell, Ooblars jelly like body went pale. "No... You negotiated with our King! He surrendered! Wh-... Why are you doing this!?" he screamed. The Eye frowned. "Because your kind are a stain on this galaxy. After your kind has been made extinct..." it turned to face Carl and Sheen. "The human will follow suit."

One of the big alien gaurds grabbed Carl and Sheen and pulled them out of the room, as Ooblar followed behind them- still in shock. He and his King had sacrificed themselves for their people by turning themselves in... and now- it was all for naught.

* * *

Goddard was floating in outer space, as he did his best to make a call. The space station was slowly making its way to planet Yolkus, and things around the 'iris' of the giant eye shaped space station had begun to move around. Something told him that whatever was going on- it couldn't be good.

The tone continued to ring. And ring. And ring. Until finally- a familiar out of breath voice came up through Goddard's ear piece. "Hello, is this you, Jimmy Neutron?" asked April. Goddard barked. "Oh, robotic companion- do you know where your master is? Last time we spoke, I thought I heard him say that he was near Yolkus." said April. Goddard whined to himself, as he finally managed to find his speaking program amongst the thousands of files in his brain.

"This is Goddard." Goddards voice sounded like a robot speaking through running fan. Still, it had to do.

"Oh, you can speak now?" asked April. "I have always had that ability. April the Gorlock. Jimmy Neutron is in need of your assistance." said Goddard. "You got too close to the Eye- didn't you? I had heard that it was travelling through that sector..." April muttered to herself. "Okay- what can I do?" she asked.

"Be ready to arrive here as soon as possible to provide assistance in the destruction of this entire space station." said Goddard. "You are doing battle with the great eye!? Has Jimmy Neutron lost his mind!?" she exclaimed.

"No. The owner of this space station has threatened billions of lives. It needs to be stopped." said Goddard.

"... Very well. I'll be there soon."

And with that, the line was dropped. Goddard quickly ran through the contact list in his brain- until he finally found the one he was searching for.

Cindy Vortex residence.

* * *

In the world of Libby Folfax, there was a lot going on. She had recently fought with her parents about getting a tattoo, and broken her favourite head phones. And... that was about it. Yes- it didn't have anything to do with throwing the universe in mortal terror- but these were things that _normal_ people thought about.

She sighed. 'There's nothing wrong with being normal...' she thought to herself. 'It's definitely safer...'

Libby let out a long tired groan, as she tried to focus her mind back to her homework. This was important. Much more important than going on adventures... Libby groaned again.

"Quiet, Libby! I'm trying to focus..." said Cindy from across the room. She was dressed in her karate uniform, meditating. Sitting in front of her was a mountain of freshly completed homework. Libby pouted. Smart kids had it so easy...

"Sorry, Cindy... It's just... so... boring..." Libby groaned. Cindy opened her eyes and scowled. "Well then listen to music of something, Libby. I have to devise my plan of attack if I'm going to win the martial arts tournament next week." she said. Libby nodded, and sat up.

They were in Cindy's room- as usual. It had been they're favourite hand out spot for as long as either of them could remember. Well- longer than Libby could remember, anyway. She sighed, and looked around. Not much had changed, really. The wallpaper was still pink- and there were a few more posters on the walls and ceiling, but that was really the only change. Libby smiled when she noticed the small picture frame standing on Cindy's bedside table. Cindy usually hid it whenever she had company- but it looked like she had forgotten this time.

Slowly, Libby made her way over to the bed- doing her very best not to make any sound. Finally, she crawled across the bed, and picked up the picture. It was from about a year ago. Timmy Turner was in the middle, standing next to Jimmy. Above them were Cosmo and Wanda- both looking as cheerful as ever. One either side of Jimmy and Timmy was Sheen, Chester, Carl and AJ. Libby smiled. She spotted herself standing in between Carl and Sheen, looking mildly uncomfortable.

Cindy was standing next to her, with a big bright smile. They were all together- as a group, having just saved both of their universes from a supervillain Jimmy and Timmy had created themselves. The super villain in question, named Shirley- was also standing in the background, wearing a chefs hat and an apron, and holding a pizza up with pride.

The picture seemed like it had been taken an eternity ago. When in fact- it had only been late last year. That had been the last time that Jimmy and Cindy really spoke to each other. After that, they avoided each other- even at school. Every now and again, Cindy would pull a prank on him and Jimmy would look angry- and just as it seemed like history as going to repeat itself, and Jimmy and Cindy wre going to start arguing again and everything would go back to normal... it didn't. Instead, he ignored it.

Every time.

Then, Sheen dissapeared- and returned, and... that was it. Jimmy, Carl and Sheen went off having incredible adventures, and Cindy and Libby stayed behind. Libby felt her eyes start to water. "Wh- what?" she muttered to herself. 'Why do I suddenly feel so... sad...' she wondered to herself. Somewhere deep down- she knew the answer.

She missed the boys. All of them. And the adventures- life threatening and at times, annoying, as they were.

Libby put the picture down face first, and took a deep breath. Things had to change. She couldn't rely on fate to throw everyone back together again... she needed to do something.

All of a sudden, the phone began to ring in the distance. "Could you get that, Libby?" asked Cindy. Libby nodded, and made her way off of the bed and down stairs to the phone.

"Vortex residence." She said upon answering. "Is that... Libby?" asked the voice on the other end of the line. Libby frowned. "Uh-huh, who is this?" she asked.

"Goddard."

Libby felt her insides do a leap. "Goddard!? Wow- how nice to, uh, hear from- from you. You, uh- in the middle of an adventure or something?" she asked. "Yes... May I speak to Cindy?" he asked. Libby bit her lip. . "Um... I don't know if thats a good idea..." said Libby. "I mean... she'll probably just hang up on you without listening or... anything." she explained.

Goddard whined. "I see... very well. I just... I wanted her to know about my masters... true feelings, regarding her. He is about to do something... risky." he said.

"I think she already knows, deep down- and... it doesn't seem to help anything." said Libby.

"Oh. How... depressing."

"Tell me about it."

"Very well. I shall just... um... make my return to the ship, and rescue Carl and Sheen. Do you wish me to relay a message to anyone?" he asked. Libby thought for a moment. "Just... be careful. I know that... things are complicated between Jimmy and Cindy, but... I think of you guys as my friends. So... don't get yourselves hurt." she said.

"Thank you Libby. I will tell Sheen right away."

"Tell the others, too."

"Yes, of course. Right after Sheen."

Libby sighed, and smiled. "Okay, then. Goodbye, Goddard. Is was nice to speak to you like this for once." she said.

"Yes... we must do this again. Gotta blast!"

And with that, Goddard hung up. Libby sighed, and hung up the phone. "You guys had better be okay..." she muttered to herself. "Or I'll kick your butts."

* * *

Jimmy frowned, as he continued working on King Goobots robotic body. "Just what is it your trying to achieve by destroying whats left of me?" Goobot demanded. "By rebuilding your body into a computer, I should be able to hack into the space station and take complete control of it." said Jimmy.

"Oh? and how do you expect to get past the most advanced technology in the galaxy? Even your ridiculously bulbus cranium can't even begin to comprehend-"

"I'm done."

Goobot twitched. "Have I mentioned that I hate yo?" asked Goobot. "Feelings mutual, Loser-bot. Now hand me the Shrink Wand." said Jimmy.

"With what? My eyeballs?"

Jimmy sighed, and reached over and grabbed the Shrink Wand. After tinkering with the settings for a few long minutes, he aimed the wand up at the eye shaped camera and pressed the button. Slowly, the camera began to grow, and grow- until in finally fell out of the ceiling. Standing on top of the spherical ball was tricky- but Jimmy managed to pull out a few of the wire that had been previously connected to the camera- and used the Shrink Wand to enlarge them.

Finally, he connected the wires to King Goobots old robotic body. And, in a flash- everything lit up. The glass-like shell acted as a screen, as Jimmy made his way into the space stations central programming. Jimmy continued to type, using a variety of jewels he had found all over the body. Goobot meanwhile, huffed.

Watching the boy genius at work was impressive, but also incredibly annoying. "Stupid carbon based life forms..." he muttered to himself.

As Jimmy continued to work, all of a sudden- the screen froze. Jimmy frowned, and tried pressing a few more buttons- but nothing happened. The data on the screen slowly disappeared, and was replaced by the glowering image of the Great Eye. King Goobot let out a loud shriek.

"So, human... you're attempting to hack my great space station... You certainly have some gall."

"You must be the so-called 'Great Eye'. Tell me, were you born looking like that- or did you lose a fight with a molecular separator ray?" asked Jimmy. "Oh-ho... I had read that you were a feisty one... Jimmy Neutron." said the Great Eye. "But I must say... reading about your crimes... you certainly come off as more of a fool than a 'boy genius'."

"I've made some mistakes..." said Jimmy."But I still believe that I have done far more good than harm."

"Do you really? Have you not once stopped to think about the sheer amount of peril you have put not only your kind- but the entire universe in, on more than several occasions? Your foolish use of time travel in and of itself is a high grade felony. Not to mention- travelling into forbidden space without a warrent- destroying asteroids without approval- and poaching an endangered species-"

"An endangered species? When did I do that?" asked Jimmy.

"You called them... Twonkies?"

"Oh yeah..."

"The list goes on, and on... You truly are a menace- Jimmy Neutron." said the Eye. Jimmy flinched, and shook his head. "No. I'm just... exploring variables. Learning... as I go on. Yes, I make mistakes but... there's no harm in that. Everybody makes mistakes- and I always take responsibility. I mean... usually." Jimmy trailed off.

"Hmph- I tire of listening to your pitiful excuses, human. It is time you were dealt with." said the Eye. Jimmy grinned. "I don't think so, 'great metal eye'." he said, as he ran his fingers across the keys. Suddenly, a loud voice shook the entire space station. "Core reactor melt down imminent! Estimated time until total hyper implosion... five minutes."

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" bellowed the Eye. "SHUT UP!" yelled Jimmy. "How many billions of lives have you ended? I saw some of your files... you have decimated entire systems of life just because you judged them as bad. It ends, now!" he yelled. "While you were busy talking, I shut down every emergency relief system in the space station- it's over!"

The Eye glowed with golden energy. "You will never escape with your life." it hissed.

Jimmy grinned. "Oh? Well, we'll see about that." he said. And with that, he pressed a small blue button on his makeshift computer- opening every jail cell in the space station. "YOU FOO-" Jimmy cut the Eye off mid-scream, by turning off the computer. With that, he turned to face Goobot.

"We need to move." he said. "What about those little friends of yours? I assume you arrived here with them?" asked Goobot. Jimmy nodded. "I used the computer to ask Goddard to find them. We'll meet them at the escape pods." explained Jimmy, as he scooped Goobot into his hands.

Jimmy left the computer behind, and starting running as fast as he could- as everything around him began to shake violently. What Jimmy hadn't told Goobot- was that Carl and Sheen were much closer to the escape pods than they were. In fact- from Jimmy's estimation, it would probably take them about three hours to get there.

"Melt down imminent in T-minus three minutes." boomed the loud voice.

Jimmy gulped. He hoped that at least his friends would make it out. No matter how powerful the Great Eye was- dealing with thousands of alien prisoners at once had to serve as some sort of distraction... he hoped.

* * *

Goddard flew as fast as he could, across a sea of strange aliens- all pushing and shoving their way around. Finding Carl and Sheen amongst the chaos was going to be...

"Hey, Carl! LOOK! That alien kinda looks like Miss Fowl!" Sheen bellowed over the deafening noise. "Sheen- Now isn't- OH! Now I see it..." replied Carl.

...easy.

"Bark! Bark!" he yelped, as he made his way into Carl and Sheens cell. "Oh, hey Goddard! What's happening?" asked Sheen, as Goddard squeezed between a pair of giant purple aliens wrestling with some of the prison guards. Goddard barked. "Huh, what's that boy? Jimmy's in the well?" asked Sheen. Goddard barked again. "Ooooh, Jimmy _is_ well, and your here to lead us to the escape pods?" he asked. Goddard nodded. "Well why didn't you say so? Carl! Goddards rescuing us now." Sheen called out.

Carl stood himself up. "Oh, good- I was starting to get kinda bored..." he said. "But wait-... what'll we do about the green eggy guy?" he asked. Sheen shrugged. "I dunno- leave him. I'm sure he'll be fine in the middle of a massive nuclear implosion." said Sheen.

"She-een! We gotta help him! It's what Llama-boy would do!" yelled Carl.

"Nu-uh, Llama boy would probably spit at him or something... Besides, you only want to save him because he reminds you of boiled green eggs!" said Sheen. "Nu-uh! I mean... maybe, but... We gotta save him!" said Carl. Sheen sighed. "Okay, okay.. come on- Goddard! Let's go look for the green phlegmy guy!"

With that, the trio made their way slowly across the hall, trampling on a few of the smaller aliens and being trampled by the bigger ones. Finally, they made it into Ooblars cell- where they found the 'green phlegmy guy' sitting in the corner looking depressed. "Come on, eggster! It's time to escape the giant floating prison now!" called Sheen.

"No. I'm not coming out." said Ooblar.

"Aw, come on... without you- who's going to try to feed us to a giant chicken?" asked Sheen. "Or- or kidnap our parents and try to feed them to a giant chicken?" asked Carl. Ooblar pouted. "It's no use trying to cheer me up- humans. My entire planet is about to be... frriiiiieeeed!" he burst into tears.

"What? But didn't you hear the giant booming voice? This place is going down... so it can't fry your planet!" said Sheen. Ooblar shook his eye stalks. "No- don't you see, an implosion like this will probably rip a hole into the very fabric of space- causing black hole... we'll all be doomed!" he yelled.

"Oh, don't worry about it, Egg. I'm sure Jimmy's already thought about that." said Sheen. Carl nodded. "Yeah, you've got nothing to worry about he said.

Goddard whined nervously.

* * *

Jimmy ran as fast as he could, as everything around him began to crumble. In his short life- he had been forced to run out of places before they exploded almost a hundred times now. But, that didn't make it any less scary. "Ow! Don't squeeze so hard, Neutron!" yelled Goobot. Jimmy loosened his grip on his gooey mortal enemy, and kept running as heard explosions in the distance.

Finally- they made it into the crowd. Creatures of all shapes and sizes were cramming themselves into the tiny escape vessels and flying off. "Oh- We'll never get a pod in time!" yelled King Goobot. Jimmy shook his head. "Thats not true! If you factor in the amount of pods verses the amount of prisoners and factor in the time it took us to get here then that should mean that the very last pod..." Jimmy trailed off, as he watched the very last escape pod rocket into space.

"Now..."

Jimmy and Goobot stood there in stunned silence for a while, as the prisoners began to scream and beg for mercy. Goobot started to tremble, as the entire hallways started to crumple in on them. "N-Neutron... I just want you to know, that no matter what I've said before... I've always truly hated you!" whimpered Goobot. Jimmy gulped, as he stared out the window and into space. Suddenly he noticed one of the escape pods in particular... it was driving back towards them.

Jimmy squinted as hard as he could- and he could just make out the image of Sheen and Goddard wrestling over th controls in the cockpit. "Goobot... you'd better prepare for impact..." said Jimmy. When there was no crash, and no ear peircing screams from Jimmys two best human friends- Jimmy opened his eyes again. Only to find his few completely blocked by the Great Eye.

"Oh, hello again. Jimmy Neutron. Look what I have found..." the Eye growled. Wrapped up in one of the Eye's giant tentacles, was the escape pod with Jimmy's friends in it. Goobot blinked, as if he recognised somebody else in the escape pod as well. "Ooblar!? What're you doing cooperating with those lower life forms!?" he screamed. Ooblar couldn't seem to be able to hear his king through the glass, the space, the explosions or the constant screaming from both inside the space station and the cockpit.

Jimmy gripped Goobot in his hand a little tighter. "Might I remind you that you are guilty of doing the same exact thing, Goobot? And besides- I thought you sold Ooblar away or something..." said Jimmy.

"I had to give a refund..." grumbled Goobot.

The Eye squinted at them. "Stand down- or I will end these life forms before your very eyes."

Jimmy scowled, and dropped the Shrink Wand. The Eye's pupil began to glow a dull gold. Inside the cockpit of the escape pod- Jimmy could see his friends waving and yelling. Jimmy guessed that he knew what was about to happen. He braced himself. As the glow got brighter, he held his breath... and quickly ducked down and picked up the Shrink Wand. The instant that he moved, the Eye released a stream of energy, ripping a hole almost all the way through the space station.

Some of the criminals took this opportunity to jump out into space- taking they're chances with the vast emptiness of space, rather than stick around for the big bang. Jimmy jumped out as far as he could, and set the Shrink Wand to 'atom'. It released a beam of blue light, that bounced straight off of the Eye. Jimmy growled, and and kept trying as the Eye angrily swiped at him with its big tentacles.

From inside the escape pod, Goddard poked his head out of the door and shot a few careful laser beams at the Eyes tentacles. The Eye flinched, loosening its grip for a nano-second. Goddard took that opportunity to hit the 'warp' button. The ship shot forward, bounced off of the eye with a loud 'smack' and kept going off into the distance.

Jimmy was having trouble controlling where he floated around in space, as he continued trying to shrink the giant angry eye. The Eye spun around in a rage, and released another stream of golden energy. In a snap, Jimmy held the Shrink Wand in front of him, and released another beam of light. The different energies met each other in the middle, both swirling around each other- as if they were unsure of what kind of reaction to have.

Finally, it exploded- sending both of them flying in opposite directions. The Eye stopped itself from flying too far away- but Jimmy found himself flying back toward the space station. Jimmy gulped. He hoped this worked...

With that, he turned around and shot another beam of light at the entire planet sized space station. In an instant- it started to shrink, but not fast enough. The Eye was already floating back to him- and he needed to shrink the space station down enough that the explosion wouldn't completely destroy the planet they were orbiting. Unless he was mistaken- and he didn't think he was- that planet was Yolkus.

Jimmy grit his teeth. Finally- the space station exploded, even as it continued to shrink. The rapid expansion coupled with the simultaneous shrinking would have looked really cool to Jimmy if he weren't currently in mortal danger. As the Eye approached, it got hit by another set of lasers. It spun around angrily in place.

It was an army of Gorlock ships. Thousands of them. The Eye stopped in its place. In the distance, it could see the criminals being slowly rounded up. The Eye growled. "No..." it muttered. A set of giant ion cannons came out of the bottom of the biggest ship, and Aprils voice boomed through space.

"Give up! Jimmy Neutron has already sucessfully destroyed your greatest weapon- It is over for you!" she roared. The Eye shot at the ship with its pupil, and the other ships all began to open fire. All of the laser weapons bounced harmlessly off of the Eye's silver shell, as it continued its rapid approach to Jimmy Neutron.

Jimmy grit his teeth, as he held onto the Shrink Wand with all his might. He could feel streams of golden energy almost grazing him as they shot past. It was almost done... Almost...

Suddenly, a beam of light exploded through his shoulder- making Jimmy quickly let go of the Shrink Wand. He let out a loud scream- but he didn't let that stop him. He clawed at it as it slowly started to float away. Without any means of propulsion- he was effectively stuck in place.

The Eye glowered over him, as its pupil continued to glow. It shot another stream of energy. Jimmy twisted himself out of its way- and watched it horror as the beam hit the still shrinking explosion.

There was more light. And a sound that rippled through space. A sound similar to the one made by Carls pants whenever he bent down after a big meal.

"RIIIIIP."

Jimmy gulped, as the explosion suddenly became a swirling mass of energy. He could feel his body being pulled into it- and there was nothing he could do. Jimmy watched as the Eye disappeared into space, looking satisfied.

And with that- Jimmy was completely swallowed, and the hole in space and time quickly dissipated.

Everything was silent again.

* * *

Having saved his world from sure destruction- or at least so he claimed- King Goobot was touted as the greatest Yolkian hero in the history of the galaxy. Goobot had found himself spread across the window of a Gorlockian war ship, and had- luckily- been scooped up and put inside instead of disposed of light a giant piece of Xylgax dung.

As Goobot enjoyed his glorious return home, it was quickly ruined when Carl, Sheen and Goddard dropped Goobot off before heading back to Earth. The Gorlocks breifly considered throwing King Goobot in jail- but decided to let him stay on his own planet as long as he signed an agreement to never go within four million miles of Earth. Goobot heartily agreed, and with that, everything quickly went back to normal.

As the escape pod made its way to Earth, Goddard received a transmission from April. He briefly wondered if it would be wise to share it with Carl and Sheen- but he decided to do it anyway.

Goddard opened his chest panel, and Aprils face appeared after a short burst of static. She was staring at the floor. Gorlocks were trained since before birth, not to show weakness. Ever. And that meant facing every situation with your chest out- and always maintaining strong eye contact.

But... it was too hard. She bit her lip. She had been a part of hunting parties before, and had even fought in a war- but luckily for her, she had never been forced to watch an alley of hers die. She had been proud of that. And now... she had just watched the person that she owed her entire planet too... disappear. Wounded.

"I don't... think..." she muttered. Goddard whined. Carl and Sheen took a break from bickering to turn and face the screen. A cold feeling of dread started to fill the entire room.

"Jimmy Neutron... Is gone."

As the escape pod finally entered their solar system, and Goddard guided them to a safe landing in downtown Retroville- Carl and Sheen went home without saying anything to each other. Sheen muttered something to himself as he walked, and Carl faced the ground.

Goddard flew over to the house.

For some reason, that nobody in Retroville could really explain outright- that night the entire town was eerily silent.

* * *

Pain.

Lot's of pain.

Jimmy opened his eyes, and made a sound he had never made before. His entire body felt like it had just bathed in fire. As he tried to move, his shoulder practically exploded with pain. Jimmy grit his teeth harder than he ever had before- and carefully sat himself up.

It was dark. And... moody. The sky was black, and the dirt seemed to be a dull grey. Jimmy frowned. Wherever he was- it was similar to Earth. The atmosphere seemed breathable, if a little... thick. Jimmy crawled over, and leaned against a giant wooden post in the ground. He needed medical attention... and badly.

He took another deep breath, and did his best to keep calm. Being smart sometimes meant knowing every bad scenario. He did his best to keep from panicking. Suddenly, there was a sound. Jimmy jumped, and groaned. He looked up, and noticed that a set of lights had just flickered on. He crawled forward for a better view.

It was a billboard, with big black letters stamped across it.

'Welcome to New Bricker City, Home of the Worlds Most Evil Genius!'

"Gas... planet..." he grumbled, as his conciousness slowly faded away.

* * *

_To be continued..._

* * *

Read and review... please.


	7. Chapter 6

_Chapter Six: Jimmy Neutron and the Vortex Discomfort_

There was a thick fog covering the entire town. Jimmy frowned and opened his eyes. It was bright... and there was a dull throbbing pain in his shoulder. This confirmed the fear he had that everything that had just happened, was not in fact the result of his brain reacting to some emotional or physical stimuli in the past. No- he really did have a hole in his shoulder, and he really was stuck in another universe.

"Okay... well... this is bad..." he mumbled to himself. "Lets see... options... Number one; sit here for a while and do nothing- maybe fall asleep for awhile and act when I am appropriately rested..."

He thought to himself for a moment, and then shook his head. "No- I believe the bleeding has stopped, but staying on the ground will significantly enhance my chances for infecting the wound- if I haven't already." With that, he shuffled his was back to a seated position against the sign.

"Number two; make my way down the road in the hopes of finding help... The visibility isn't clear... the chances of getting lost are significant, as are the chances of finding myself in a situation even more dire."

He bit his bottom lip, and closed his eyes. He needed to think clearly. The pain was currently getting in the way of that- but for some reason, his heart beat seemed almost eerily calm. He frowned.

"Number three; make plans for a portal generator, and find a town of some kind to collect the necessary parts... by the time I finish some rudimentary plans, the fog may have lifted..." he nodded.

He hadn't felt his brain working so clearly in quite some time. It was comforting. He took a deep breath, and closed his eyes again. He pictured a big piece of paper. And then, he started to put lines on it. Once he was finished with the plans in his brain, he would make a list. Hopefully- wherever he was, it was at least as evolved as Retroville.

* * *

Carl and Sheen had been remarkably silent during class. So much so, that it was beginning to make their classmates uncomfortable. It was the first day back to middle school for the term. Everybody who had attended Lindburgh Elementary school had come to school expecting to find themselves shot into outer space, or have something try to enslave them. So far- nothing had happened at all.

More than that- Jimmy Neutron wasn't even there. And he wasn't just invisible or anything- Nick had poked Jimmys empty seat to make sure of that. The only recourse they had now was to ask Carl and Sheen outright- but nobody wanted to be seen talking to two of the three most unpopular people in town. So, they were at a stand still- and most of them had resolved to simply stare at Carl and Sheen for minutes at a time, as if hoping that once of them would just bellow out an explanation and then run off. Unfortunately, they weren't having much luck.

Among the handful of students that had found themselves becoming over curious as to the where abouts of the local brainiac, were Cindy Vortex and Libby Folfax. Missing a chance to show off in front of a crowd of people was very unlike Jimmy Neutron. Although, Cindy admitted to herself, she had noticed that Jimmy had begun to slowly stop that sort of behaviour. Actually- it had begun to seem like Jimmy had been using a holographic stand in at school almost every day. She could tell by the way peoples spit balls kept flying straight through him, and the way he flickered every now and again.

Libby on the other hand, had greater reason to worry than Cindy did.

As the day continued, and Carl and Sheen continued their weird behaviour, (eating with etiquette, not petting toys and muttering things to them, not screaming about something every few minutes or so, etc.) Libby kept repeating to herself what Goddard had told her the day before.

_'He is about to do something... risky.'_

She grit her teeth. She couldn't let herself start to think the worst. She didn't want to think about it.

When the three o'clock bell rang, and students began to pour out of the school, Libby stopped as she noticed Carl and Sheen standing in front of the school talking to Goddard. They both looked sad. Then, Goddard opened his chest- and their faces switched from quiet sadness to extreme happiness. They both shouted for joy- it actually sounded like Carl literally yelled 'joy!' a few times before Goddard barked at them. And with that, they both seemed to be making their way to Jimmy's house.

Libby frowned. She wanted to follow them. A small part of her just wanted to go on another adventure. But, she had promised herself that she was going to move on from that. Just as Cindy had.

Libby had been standing in place, completely lost in thought for almost ten minutes before Cindy finally found her. "Oh, hey Libby. Have you been waiting long? I'm sorry, the student council..." Cindy trailed off mid-sentance, when she noticed that her friends mind seemed to be on something else.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Libby looked at her friend, but it took her a few seconds to register that she was there. "Oh- I'm sorry Cindy... I was just... thinking about something." she said. Cindy looked concerned. "Is it anything I can help with?" she asked.

"Well... no. Not really." said Libby. "I just... When we went into middle school- we made a promise that we were going to take the next step to our future. That we were going to move on... at the time- with Sheen missing... that was kind of easy. And then, he came back. And I told myself that by staying away from him, Jimmy and Carl...that I was making good on our promise. I was moving on. But nothing has really changed, Cindy. It's just... more quiet."

Cindy looked surprised, and Libby couldn't blame her. After a minute passed with them both in silence, Libby broke it by clearing her throat. "I'm not saying I'm going to get back together with Sheen... but to be honest... I think... I miss those guys. All of 'em."

Cindy was still silent, but Libby could tell that she was suppressing something. "I see..." said Cindy. "So... you want to go hang out with Neutron?" she asked. There was probably more venom in her words than she really meant. Either way, Libby shook her head. "No... I mean- well..." Libby trailed off for a moment. "Maybe I do." she said.

Cindy growled. Had there been a slightly lighter atmosphere, Libby might have smiled at that. Jimmy Neutron was the only thing in the world that could make her make that noise.

"Fine. Go hang out with Neutron. I'll be at the Candy Bar- doing my homework." she said with a huff. As she went to leave, Libby stopped her with an outstretched hand. "Hey-" she started, only to have Cindy shake her off. "No. Don't let me bother you."

With that, Cindy walked off- and Libby berated herself as she made her way to Jimmys clubhouse. She could have just said that she was going for Sheen... She shouldn't have mentioned Jimmy at all. She was Cindy's best friend. She knew that just the word _Neutron_ tended to make her angry.

She sighed. No- it wasn't anybodys fault. That fight had been coming for a little while now. As Libby knocked on the door to the clubhouse, she took a deep breath. It was time to help Jimmy with whatever life threatening situation he had managed to put himself in. After all, with only Carl and Sheen to help- Jimmy would probably be doomed.

Libby smiled to herself. For some odd reason, that made her feel better.

* * *

Jimmy limped down a long black road, past the billboard and further down for almost an hour. The fog had only cleared up enough for Jimmy to see where he was going, but nothing more. He was fatigued. It seemed like he had been feeling that way a lot recently. Maybe Goddard was right when he accused his master of working too hard. Jimmy hadn't argued with him at the time- and as the evidence continued to accumulate Jimmy knew that it was going to get much harder to argue that he was okay. That he wasn't running away from anything.

He frowned, and decided to do away with his current train of thought. He was tired enough already without thinking about _that_.

After a while, he finally found himself standing in front of a building. It was small- and from what little of it he could actually make out- it actually looked like a house. He frowned. Slowly, the fog began to lift. There was a familiar door. The walls were a familiar shade of pink. He gulped.

There was no mistaking it. He saw it every day for the vast majority of his life.

It was Cindy Vortex's house.

Jimmy tried to process it carefully- but there was a sudden influx of thoughts racing through his brain. He grit his teeth. "Okay... I don't need to freak out... so... stop it..." he muttered to himself. Unfortunately, his brain tended not to like taking orders like that. So he took a deep breath, and tried to calm down.

"Okay... options." he said. "Number one; leave the house alone- and hope that I can find another place of shelter somewhere before I get dehydrated and fall unconscious again..." he thought about this for a little while. The fog seemed to be thinning out, but as far as he could tell- this was the only house around for miles.

"Number two; go inside. Risk running into whatever kind of alien creature could be inhabiting this place- or worse, some kind of... Cindy." he grumbled. Jimmy didn't like this. But he didn't really have the time to think about whether this was some kind of hallucination or not. He needed to patch himself up.

Slowly, Jimmy brought his finger to the door bell and pressed it. A loud chime sang throughout the house. Well, the doorbell felt real enough- and so did the door... Although that only proved that it wasn't a holograph. He could still be dreaming... or something. He took a deep breath.

If this was a trick- there would be nothing he could do about it. He was wounded and tired. There was nothing he could do. He was completely helpless.

Jimmy felt an immense sense of dread, in the pit of his stomach. He could hear lights being turned on inside. "Wait a minute!" an all too familiar voice called out from inside. Jimmys thought process suddenly split into two parts. The smart side of him- that was screaming for him to run as fast and as far away as possible, and another part that kept his legs firmly glued to the spot. He took a deep breath, as the door swung open.

It was Cindy. Of course it was Cindy.

She looked a little different than the Cindy Vortex that existed in Jimmy's mind. She had her hair down, and she was wearing a plain white t-shirt and a pair of old faded jeans. Jimmy bit back at the stupid and pathetic part of his brain that thought she looked as beautiful as ever. He really hated that part of his brain.

Jimmy blinked a few times, doing his best not to stare at her soft pink lips, or into her piercing green eyes . He didn't want to think about any of that.

"Cindy?" he finally blurted out, after spending far too long standing in front of her in awkward silence.

She nodded. "That's my name- and you are?" she asked. Jimmy had to take a few seconds to calm himself down. "Ji... Jimmy Neutron..." he muttered, angrily. He was starting to get frustrated with just how flustered he was getting. Cindy ignored his tone and gave him a quick once over.

"Your hurt..." she muttered. Their eyes met- and Jimmy could see a small rush of concern reflected in her eyes. Jimmy felt a rush of blood rise to his face. 'Pathetic... stupid... _gas planet_...' he thought to himself. He was glad that nobody else was around to watch him fall into a quivering mess like this.

He cleared his throat, and pushed down the sudden influx of nerves he had coursing through his entire body as far as he could. "Yes... Um... I w-was hoping you could... if... I mean..." he grit his teeth, and kept going. "Do you have any, uh- bandages... or... water, that I could... use?" he asked.

Cindy thought for a moment and then shrugged. "Sure- come inside." she said, moving out of the way to make room.

That was odd. Cindy had never been the type to welcome somebody inside like that... especially a stranger. Nevertheless, Jimmy crossed the threshold, and watched as Cindy made her way up stairs, gesturing for him to follow her. He took a deep breath.

'Why am I more nervous now than I was when I was fighting a giant alien eye and getting sucked into a wormhole?' he wondered. As he followed Cindy up the stairs, ignoring the flares of pain he was starting to feel in his joints. That was one good thing about being so hopelessly distracted by a member of the opposite sex.

It made it much easier to ignore everything else.

* * *

"Are you sure we'll find Jimmy by, um, scanning all of the universes? Won't that take a long time?" asked Carl. Goddard barked. "Yeah, Carl! Don't be so negative. Listen- all we need to do is find the worst, most dangerous universe of them all- and start looking from there." said Sheen.

"Well, why does it have to be the most dangerous universe first? Couldn't we try going to a cute and cuddly universe first? Like- a, um, universe where..." Carl trailed off for a moment. "Maybe- where Llama boy lives..." he suggested. Sheen huffed. "Nu-uh, if we're going to any parallel dimension where characters from television exist in that reality- it has to be Ultralord!" he yelled.

As Carl and Sheen continued bickering, Goddard slowly dragged the worm hole generator out from behind the club house. Evidence of the negligence it had been through for the past six or seven months was evident all over. Everything from rust, to a few cracks- and a beehive hanging from the middle of the arch. And- they weren't happy.

When they realized that stinging Goddard didn't seem to be working, they moved on to the closest living beings.

"OW!" yelled Sheen. He stared at his arm, as he noticed a small red welt beginning to form. Then, he looked up- and into a cloud of unhappy bees. "Carl..." he muttered. "BEEEEEEE'S!" he shrieked.

And in an instant, complete chaos broke out. Carl and Sheen started screaming and waving their arms in the air as the bees continued their assault. Goddard searched through the hypercube, desperately trying to find the can of 'bee-be-gone' that Jimmy usually kept around.

Finally, he found it- and as quickly as the air had been thick with swarm of angry bees, it was thick with the spray. The bees dispersed almost instantly, leaving Carl and Sheen in their wake to sit and lick their wounds. In Sheens case, literally.

Carl had already pulled out a tube of cream from his pocket- and was rubbing it all over his skin while trying not to whimper with pain _too_ loudly.

It was around this time, that Libby finally arrived on the scene. She watched them for a while, and wondered if this was really the right thing to do. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was betraying her best friend... But she shook it off.

"Hey, guys. Whats up?" she asked.

Carl looked up, and met Libby with a kind smile. "Oh, hi Libby. I was just rubbing some ointment on to recover from the bee attack." he said. Sheen jumped to his feet, and spat in his hands- not noticing Libby's look of disgust at that- as he slicked his hair back. "Hey there, Libby." said Sheen. "What brings you here?"

Libby rolled her eyes. "Well- I was just curious... Where's Jimmy?" she asked. Sheen raised his eyebrows, and looked over at Carl. "I don't know..." he muttered. Libby put her hands on her hips. Had Neutron sworn his friends to silence or something?

Suddenly, Goddard let out a loud bark. Sheen and Carl turned to face him. "Really, Goddard? Are you sure he won't be mad..." asked Carl. Goddard nodded. "Awesome! Pull up a seat mi amor- let me tell you about our latest fantastic adventure!" yelled Sheen.

"Jimmy got sucked into a wormhole." said Carl.

"Carl!" Sheen yelled. Carl shrugged, as Libby moved her eyes to Goddard. "Tell me everything." she said. Goddard nodded, and was about to access his speech software when Sheen interrupted.

"It was a dark and stormy space! We had just been captured by this giant spaceship and thrown into a jail cell. And I stood up and yelled; Never fear! Ultra-Sheen will save the day! And then I got burned by the metal bars a bunch of times. And-"

As Sheen continued his long and not entirely accurate account of what had happened the day before, Libby checked with Goddard every now and again. Goddard would nod when Sheen was telling the truth- and then shake his head when he wasn't. During which time Libby would tell Sheen to tell the truth- and the story would get back on track.

"And finally- he just... disappeared. And Carl, Goddard and me all sat there in silence as we made our way home... thinking that we would never see our best friend ever again..." Sheen finished sadly. Carl nodded. "Sheen was crying a whole lot." he said. Sheen gasped, and pointed an accusing finger at Carl. "That was you!" he yelled. Carl thought for a moment. "Oh yeah..."

"I, on the other hand- shed not one tear. I knew that Jimmy wouldn't have wanted us to be sad for his sacrifice- but proud!" he announced.

Goddard opened his chest, revealing a big grey screen. Suddenly, the image of Carl and Sheen in the escape pod flickered onto it. "WAAAAHHH!" Sheen bellowed, as he wrapped his arms around Carl. "WHHHHYYY!?" screamed Carl, as he squeezed Sheen back. Goddard closed the screen, and tilted his head to the side.

"Well... we thought he was gone..." muttered Sheen, as he kept his eyes on his shoes.

"Yeah... but Goddard says that he figured out a way to find him." said Carl. Goddard barked, and walked over to the wormhole generator. He turned to face the group again.

"Bark! Bark!"

"A wrench? Where am I supposed to find one of those?" asked Sheen. Goddard growled, and pointed at the lab. "Aw... but Libbys here..." he pouted.

"Bark!"

"Alright already, _dang!_" said Sheen, before making his way towards the clubhouse. "Come on, Carl- we gotta get so stuff together so Goddard can fix it." he said. Carl nodded, and followed close behind. "Maybe we can pick up some superweapons too- in case we need to fight more bad guys wherever Jimmy is." said Sheen. "Ooooh..." said Carl, wiggling his fingers with interest. "Maybe the love potion, too..."

"Bark! Bark!"

Carl and Sheen looked dejected as they knocked on the door of the clubhouse. "Wait- hold on..." said Libby. Carl and Sheen stopped and turned to face her. All of a sudden, Libby was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. "Well... I..." she took a deep breath. "Let me help find Jimmy too." she said.

Sheen lit up. "Alright! Libby Folfax- welcome back to the adventure train!" yelled Sheen.

"I get motion sickness of trains..." groaned Carl. "What about cars?" asked Sheen. Carl thought for a moment. "Well... a little." he said. Sheen huffed.

"Boats?"

"Yeah..."

"Planes?"

"Uh-huh..."

"Space ships?"

"Well... not really, I guess."

"Good! Libby- we gotta change the adventure train into a space ship. Are you still in?" asked Sheen.

Libby stared at them both for a while, and finally shrugged. "Yeah, sure. Let's roll." she said.

"I'm not very good with-"

"Figure of speech, Carl."

"Oh. Okay."

Libby smiled. This was it. That feeling that she had been missing. She looked over across the house, just in time to see the curtains in Cindy's room snap shut. Libby sighed. Now if only Cindy could be there too...

* * *

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

Read and review... please.


	8. Chapter 7

_Chapter Seven: Jimmy Neutron and the Retroland Uncertainty_

It had been almost an hour now, and although flipping through windows to infinite parallel worlds was interesting at first- it was starting to get a little boring. Libby took a deep breath, and laid down on the grass. The sun was starting to set, and they still hadn't made any progress. Goddard was scanning as fast as he could for his missing master- but the amount of worlds really was infinite.

"See, Sheen! I told you there was a place were Llama Boy existed!" yelled Carl. Sheen sighed, and quietly pulled a dollar out of his pocket and handed it to Carl, who lifted it into the air as a sign of victory. Libby sighed. Watching the worm hole generator was like watching a tv set while somebody quickly flicked through the channels. Goddard would stay on one for a few minutes as he searched for any sign on Jimmy, and then move on to the next one.

As Libby watched, she saw a world inhabited by undersea life, a world where a boy with a football shaped head kept on getting yelled at by a girl with ponytails, and world full of penguins that kept on complaining about how little they were getting paid- and exploding when they were thrown around.

Libby wondered how many of these universes Jimmy, Carl and Sheen had already been too. From the way they kept on pointing excitedly and laughing, Libby guessed that they had been to, at the very least- the vast majority.

"Ooh- the robot in that world made the best waffles!" yelled Sheen.

"Yeah, but... I just wish that loud green kid wasn't so... loud." said Carl.

"Really? I loved that! Listen- he taught me how to do an evil laugh, you ready?" asked Sheen.

"Well, I-"

"BWAHAHAHAHAHA-" Sheen laughed, before being thrown into a hacking fit. "A-and then, all you gotta do is spit up some throat-blood and your there!" said Sheen, his voice sounding even rougher than usual. "Well, that's very nice Sheen- but _I_ learned how to speak_ penguin_." said Carl.

"Really? Cool!" said Sheen.

Carl nodded. "Uh-huh. All you have to do is smile..." Carl curved his lips up in an awkward and unnatural looking smile. Sheen followed suit. "And then, wave." he said. They both started waving at each other. "Oh- and remember to act cute and cuddly." he said. Sheen scratched the back of his head with the hand that wasn't currently busy waving. "Are you sure this is it?" he asked.

Carl shrugged. "Well its all the penguins that I met seemed to do..."

"Bark! Bark!"

Carl, Sheen and Libby were snapped out of their bored stupor, and faced Goddard. Goddard opened up his chest and relayed a message. 'Jimmy Neutron found. In Unknown Galaxy Thirty Sixty-Seven.'

"Alright- finally! Lets go, Carl!" yelled Sheen. Carl nodded. "Kay, let me just make sure I have enough sandwiches packed..." As Carl began to rustle around inside his comically large Llama shaped lunch box, Libby walked over to Goddard. "Are you sure?" she asked.

'The scanner shows a one hundred percent match to the Jimmy Neutron of our universe.'

Libby frowned. "Will we be okay? Can we even breath over there?" she asked.

'Sensors show a perfect atmosphere for lifeforms very similar to this planet. But...'

"But what?"

'Well... There are only appears to be three life forms in the entire system- including Jimmy. And the planet itself seems... unsettling.'

"Well, I don't like the sound of that..." said Libby. "I'd better bring a spare set of headphones just in case... do you have any?"

'Well... yes... but I was thinking about bringing things of a more... weapon-like variety.'

Libby pointed at Carl and Sheen. "Would you trust those two with anything even remotely 'weapon-like'?" she asked. Goddard shook his head. "I think you'd better handle the back up. I don't even play video games, let alone know how to shoot an actual laser-thing." she explained.

Goddard nodded, and gestured to the portal.

"All ready, huh?" she asked. Goddard nodded. "All right you two- its go time. Are you guys set?" she asked. Sheen nodded enthusiastically, while Carl started rubbing his face with antibacterial cream. "Almost..." he said.

"Aw, come on Carl! You can worry about germs _after_ we've face mortal terror! Now just... come on!" yelled Sheen, as he started to push Carl towards the portal. "But- wait, I'm not ready yet!" he squealed. "Portals wait for no man!" yelled Sheen.

"Come on, Libby! Its adventure time!"

Libby smiled. "Well, come on then Goddard. Like the boy said- Portals wait for no man." she said. Goddard nodded, and raced across the grass and jumped into Carl and Sheen, sending them both flying through the portal.

With one last glance to the house across the street, Libby walked through the portal herself.

The sun finally disappeared over the horizon, and night fell over the town of Retroville.

* * *

"Aw, man- its all gassy here..." said Sheen. "It wasn't me!" yelled Carl. "He means _foggy._ There's a lot of fog here." said Libby. "Oh... is that what you meant, Sheen?" asked Carl.

Sheen, who had been fanning something away from his face with incredible desperation, suddenly stopped and nodded. "Yeah... sure. _Foggy_." he said. Carl looked reassured, as Sheen took an extra step away from him, looking nervous.

"Bark! Bark!" barked Goddard. Carl, Sheen and Libby turned around to look for him, but couldn't see a anything through the fog. "Goddard? Where are you boy? The gas is _really_ thick." said Sheen. "She-een!" yelled Carl indignantly.

"Bark! Bark!" Goddard barked again, this time appearing by Libbys side. "Ah! Don't do that!" she yelled. Goddard opened the top of his back, revealing a set of four goggles all sitting close together. Libby picked them up, and noticed they each seemed to have something engraved on them.

'Property of Libby Folfax'

Libby blinked, and checked the others. Sure enough, there was a pair for Sheen, Carl and even Cindy. Libby glanced down at Goddard with a curious look on her face. Goddard opened his chest, and relayed a message. 'He built them a while ago.' it read.

Libby sighed, and handed Carl and Sheen theirs, and put Jimmy and Cindys pair back. "What are they?" she asked, as she fit them over her head. They fit very well- which made her wonder if Jimmy had taken the time to measure their heads without their knowledge when he built them. That... was a little creepy.

"Bark! Bark!"

Libby passed the goggles to Carl and Sheen, both of whom put them on immediately. Carl put his glasses on over the goggles- but everybody seemed to decide not to mention it. "Oh- these are the goggles that we use when we sneak out at night! Did he repair them already?" asked Sheen. Goddard nodded.

Once they were on, the fog seemed to dissapear- and Libby could see everything perfectly. It was still dark- but she could make out the color of the grass, the long black road that they were standing beside- and a giant billboard standing directly in front of them.

'Welcome to New Bricker City, Home of the Worlds Most Evil Genius!' it read in bold black letters.

"A evil genius? Cool! You think its Jimmy? Or Evil Jimmy?" asked Sheen. "Sheen, Jimmy isn't an evil genius..." said Carl. Sheen rubbed his hands together. "No... not _yet._" he muttered.

Goddard barked again, and made his way down the road. "You want us to follow, Goddard?" asked Carl. Goddard nodded, as he kept walking. Carl, Sheen and Libby followed close behind- each of them looking around at the dark scenery around them.

"Boy- this place sure is creepy." said Sheen.

Carl nodded. "U... Uh-huh... Are you scared, Libby?" he asked. Libby shook her head. "No- not really. Got over being scared of the dark when I was six." she said. "Oh... good... me too." said Carl.

The four of them continued down the long road for a while. Everything around them seemed to be empty. And... cold. Until they finally came across a fammiliar looking house. They stopped in front of it. All of the lights were on inside- and they could hear the faint sound of music emanating from it.

"Wow- a lonely house in the middle of nowhere, huh?" asked Sheen. Nobody responded, so Sheen quickly walked up the stairs and opened the door. "Come on guys- lets go find Jimmy!" he announced. Carl and Goddard nodded and followed him inside, while Libby frowned- deep in thought.

This... was Cindys house, wasn't it?

Upon noticing that she ws now standing outside alone- she quickly followed the boys up the stairs and into the house- closing the door gingerly behind her. They all instantly felt a rush of warm, comforting air. And the music was getting much louder.

"_I gotta feeling... that tonights gonna be a good night-"_

Libby raised an eyebrow. She knew this song... As Carl, Sheen, Goddard and her travelled further into the house- they soon discovered the source of the music in the living room. And everyone in the group let their jaws collectively drop.

There, standing in the middle of the living room- was Jimmy and Cindy. Both holding microphones, dancing and singing their hearts out, together. The group stood there for a while, watching their friends singing and dancing with each other for a few good minutes, until Libby walked over to the other side of the room and turned off the stereo.

All of a sudden, the music cut out. And Jimmy and Cindy froze in place. Jimmy turned to face his friends, and gulped.

"Uh... hello?" he said.

Silence.

"I- uh... This... isn't what it looks like?"

Still silence.

Jimmy noticed that he was still holding hands with Cindy, and quickly let go- stashing his hand in his pocket. "U-um..." he stuttered. Cindy looked at him inquisitively, and then turned to face the group. "Hello, my names Cindy. Are you Jimmys friends?" she asked.

The group nodded their heads in unison.

"O-kaaay... Um, I was just about to fix Jimmy and I some lunch... would you like some?" she asked.

Again, the group nodded in unison.

With that, Cindy flashed Jimmy a smile and left the room.

The awkward atmosphere was thick enough to choke on. Jimmy cleared his throat. "Wh-... why don't you guys take a seat on the sofa?" he asked. The four of them obediently sat down on the sofa, and continued to stare at Jimmy.

"So... I guess... maybe... your... curious..." he mumbled.

Carl nodded. "Yeah... why were you dancing with Cindy like that, Jim?" he asked. Jimmy flinched, and cleared his throat again. "Yeah! And why does that Cindy seem so polite- and how come she suddenly knows how to cook?" asked Sheen.

"Oh, well- we prepared those sandwiches together a little earlier... before... we, uh... decided to... play... dancing..." Jimmy wiggled his fingers in the air, as if in an effort to further illustrate his point. It obviously didn't work.

Finally, Libby decided to speak up. "Okay- forgetting whatever it was that just saw-" Jimmy looked relieved. "For now..." Jimmy went back to looking uncomfortable. "What happened to you? You look like you've been through a paper shredder or something." said Libby.

Jimmy looked down at his clothes. His shirt was scattered with burn holes, and a blood stain around the big hole over his shoulder. His lab coat was also covered in scorch marks, as well a few tears here and there. His jeans looked equally roughed up- and even his shoes seemed to only be hanging on by a few threads. A goofy smile suddenly appears on his face.

"Oh, Cindy washed them for me... she's so..." he trailed off, when he noticed his friends disgusted looks. "Um, I mean- I was damaged in a fight with a giant alien eye- I suffered a fairly serious wound through my shoulder- but Cindy helped me bandage that up... and give me a few stitches here and there..." he explained. "I, uh- got caught in a little bit of fire from an explosion... and... stuff..." he trailed off.

"Are you okay?" asked Carl.

Jimmy shrugged, and then winced. "Well, I've been better..." he said. "But... I feel better now than I did before..."

Suddenly, Cindy burst into the room, with a plate of sandwiches. "Hey- Jimmy said that you guys were coming, so we made your favourites." she said, as she handed everyone a sandwich- and Goddard a can of purple flurp shaped like a sandwich. She then turned to face Libby. "Jimmy didn't tell me you would be coming too, though... Libby was it?" she asked. Libby nodded her head, and shot Jimmy a look.

"So here- I made you this." she said, as she gave Libby a sandwich. With that, she gave one to Jimmy and sat down in her chair, with her own sandwich.

"Wow! Cindy- these're awe-some!" yelled Sheen, as he ate enthusiastically. Carl nodded. "Yeah- this is the best sandwich I've ever tasted!" said Carl. Libby took a bite, and raised her eyebrows. They weren't wrong... the perfect level of cheese, tomato and lettuce... She looked at the others- and noticed that they had a slice of ham in theirs.

She frowned.

"How did you know that I'm a vegetarian?" asked Libby. Cindy looked surprised. "Really? Huh... I just ran out of ham... lucky, huh?" she asked, happily. Libby nodded wearily, and finished her sandwich.

"Wow! I had no idea you were so good at this, Cindy! I outta ask the Cindy in our world to make me one some time!" Sheen exclaimed. "If you do that you'll probably end up with a broken... face." warned Libby. "Oh, yeah... still! That was great! Thank you other worldly Cindy!" said Sheen.

"Yeah, thank you Cindy." said Carl.

Cindy shrugged, looking a little embarrassed. "Oh- it was nothing. Jimmy here helped with most of it..." she mumbled.A goofy smile made its way to Jimmys face. "Oh, I hardly did anything... you were great!" he said. Cindy giggled, and Jimmy could feel the eyes of his friends burning into him.

Jimmy cleared his throat, and stood up. "Well... As much as I hate to say it- it looks like its time for me to go." he said. "Are you guys ready?" he asked. "Aw- but we wanna hang out with this nice Cindy a little longer- ow! Libby!" complained Carl, as he rubbed the spot on the top of his head where Libby had hit him.

"Come on, Libby- she's so nice! It'll be fun! We can sing, and dance and Cindy can make us more sandwiches- Ow! Alright, dang!" yelled Sheen.

Cindy stood up, and gave Jimmy a hug. Jimmy let out a high pitched groan of surprise when she did, and had to spend a good few minutes trying to gather himself back together afterwards. "Good luck. Visit again if you ever have the time." said Cindy. Jimmy nodded obediently, and then quickly shook his head- as if in an attempt to rid himself of the thoughts that were slowly creeping into his brain.

Jimmy nodded and muttered something incomprehensible- before rushing out the door.

"Alright then- goodbye, Good Cindy- Ow! Libby, stop doing that!" said Carl.

The group said there goodbyes to the 'good' Cindy, and left the house. As Jimmy made his way down the stairs, he as stopped by Libby. "Alright Neutron- what was that about?" she demanded. Jimmy gulped. "Wh-... whatever could you mean?" he asked, as he tried to whistle innocently with his hands in his pockets.

"You know very well what I mean! What were you doing getting all cuddly with that... version of Cindy?" she demanded. Jimmy looked down at his shoes, and tried not to let his face get too pink. He had endured enough humiliation already.

"Look... as far as I can tell- this world seems to be affected by the people who are inside of it. It seems to shape parts of itself into something that the inhabitants mind... really... wants... a lot..." he trailed off, looking more and more embarrassed with himself. "I... I mean... my wounds have healed faster than usual... and I've had the first real rest I've had in a while... and... she's so... pretty..." he mumbled.

Libby raised an eyebrow, and put her hands on her hips. "She was dressed almost exactly the way she always dresses." she said. Jimmy nodded, and smiled. "Yeah... I- mean... Look, this theory is proven by that." he said pointing out into the distance. Libby squinted.

Out the distance, was a massive theme park- with a giant sign hanging over the entrance that read 'Welcome to Retroland!'. She noticed that Carl and Sheen were already at the entrance with Goddard, and waving at them to catch up.

"When did that get there?" she asked.

Jimmy shrugged. "I noticed it through the window about... ten minutes ago. I'm guessing it was around the time you guys arrived here. How did you get here, anyway?" he asked.

"Goddard fixed your worm hole generator." she said.

Jimmy smiled. "Good boy." he muttered to himself.

"HEY! ARE YOU GUYS GOING TO STAND AROUND TALKING ABOUT JIMMYS PATHETIC IMAGINATION- OR ARE WE GOING TO RIDE THE ROLLERCOASTERS!?" screamed Sheen. Libby rolled her eyes, and started walking. Jimmy followed. "What do you mean 'pathetic imagination'..." Jimmy muttered to himself.

* * *

Jimmy and Goddard were sitting on a park bench, watching as Sheen, Carl and Libby went haywire on apparently abandoned theme park. It didn't take very long for Jimmy to get everything working again- and soon enough they were all riding rollercoaster, going into the haunted house- and buying extremely large amounts of cotton candy.

"This is awesome! I've always wanted to have the whole park to myself!" yelled Sheen. "It is pretty cool, isn't it?" asked Libby. "But you know what would make it even cooler? If-" Libby was interrupted, but the sound of funky hip hop blaring through speakers all across the park. Libby jumped for joy, and quickly dragged Sheen over to the Eviscerator- the worlds scariest rollercoaster. Sheen followed along with a proud and slightly maniacal grin.

As Jimmy watched them, Carl sat down next to him, holding a massive ball of cotton candy. "Hey, Jim. Are you okay?" he asked. Jimmy sighed. "I don't know... I suppose so." he said.

The three of them; Jimmy, Goddard and Carl, sat on the bench- quietly listening to Sheen and Libby screaming as loud as they could, over the heavy music in the air.

"We should probably get going soon..." said Jimmy.

Carl nodded. "Uh-huh. I've got enough candy stored away..." he said, happily patting his bulging pockets. Then, something in the distance caught Carls eye. "Is that..." he muttered to himself as he stood up and took a few steps forward to get a closer look. "It is!" he exclaimed. "Llama, llama, llama!" he yelled, as he ran toward the Llama that had- for some reason- just appeared by the pretzel stand. Carl jumped onto its back without a moments hesitation. "Onward, Princess!" he yelled. The llama twisted its long neck around and gave Carl a long look, before finally deciding to shuffle forwards like it had been asked too.

Jimmy smiled again as he watched all of his friends having fun.

"Your nowhere close to okay- are you, Neutron?"

Jimmy wasn't surprised to find Cindy suddenly standing in front of him. Actually- he had been kind of expecting it. "Hello, Vortex. I was just thinking about you... What a coincidence, huh?" he asked. Cindy nodded, and sat next to him and stretched her arms out. "You sure are smart, huh- Neutron?" she asked.

Goddard quietly jumped off of the bench, and wandered off in Carls direction in order to give his master some space.

Jimmy nodded. "So... are you- and this entire place, what I think they are?" he asked. Cindy grinned and flicked him on the nose. "Ah- Vortex! Don't _do_ that!" he growled. "I feel real enough, don't I?" she asked. "Well, yes. So does this bench. And I'm sure the rollercoasters feel real enough to Sheen and Libby." he said.

Cindy nodded, and leaned back. "Its good to see them getting along now, huh?" she asked. "You really blamed yourself too much when Sheen disappeared."

"How could I not? It was my rocket... and lab security is my responsibility." said Jimmy.

"Oh- responsibilities... You really do take them very seriously, don't you?" she asked. Jimmy raised an eyebrow. "Before... that was my brains most favoured reflection of your personality. This is your challenging side- isn't it?" he asked.

Cindy giggled. "Oh- sure. Or, you know- I'm still the same me as before, just one with a little more information." she said.

"Uh-huh. Look, you obviously came here to say something... so why don't you hurry up and say it?" he asked. Cindy drew her face closer to his. "Oh, come on Jimmy. You know I like to _tease..._" she whispered. Jimmy flinched, and carefully pushed her face away from his. "Okay- can you please not do that? I may be technically a teenager now but I am still much too young to be forced to suffer _that_ kind of... communication." he said.

Cindy giggled again. "Oh- really? Do I need to remind you that I have acess to your memories right now? Including the memories of... _dreams?_" she asked. Jimmy shuddered. "Okay, I get it. Do what you have to in order to properly communicate the data..." he said.

"Oh, you really know how to speak to a girl..." she said. Jimmy rubbed his head. Even an imaginary version of Cindy was enough to give him a headache. "Now, let me ask you a question, Jimmy." she said with a mischievous grin. "Why is it that you are alive?" she asked.

Jimmy looked at her for a second, and then frowned. "I'm guessing you mean that as a philosophical question rather than a medical one." he said.

Cindy shrugged. "Well, I must admit that it might be interesting considering some of the things you have done to your body over the years- but you are correct. Philosophically- why is it that you are alive? Do you have your reason?" she asked.

Jimmy thought for a moment. "To learn, I suppose. And to live up to my... potential." he said.

Cindy snickered to herself. "Oh- your potential, huh? That's very cute of you." she said. Jimmy didn't let himself so much as bristle at her comment. Instead, he stayed focused on her. "Yes, my potential. I know I am capable of doing great things. I just have to work at it..." he said.

"To what end, Jimmy Neutron? You know as well as I do that if you continue to work yourself as you have been doing in these past few months... you will welcome an early death rather than any form of success." said Cindy.

Jimmy sighed. She was right. And she was also the main reason why he had been shutting himself away in the lab for so long. He sighed. "I know I'm just running away... But what else can I do?" he asked.

Cindy shrugged again. "Hey, how should I know? I'm just some stupid little girl." she said. "I said I was sorry about that." said Jimmy. Cindy shook her head. "Actually, you haven't." she said.

"Oh, by the way... You might want collect your friends and go in the next... oh- five minutes? Unless you enjoy having your life force slowly drained away by this planet, that is." she said. Jimmy sighed. "And why couldn't you have passed that vital information on a little earlier?" he asked, wearily.

"Like I said, Neutron. I do like to tease."

And with that she was gone.

Jimmy stood himself up in a flash, and ran over to Sheen and Libby- who had just gotten off of their twentieth rollercoaster ride. "Guys!" he yelled. They both jumped at the sound of his voice, and turned to face him with equally puzzled looks on their face. "I have just learned that the reason for this places appearance- as well as Cindys house- is just a trap designed to keep us here while the world slowly eats us." he explained.

"I knew it!" yelled Sheen. Libby ignored him, and sighed. "I knew this was all a little too good to be true..." she grumbled.

"Do you know where Carl and Goddard are?" asked Jimmy. Sheen and Libby shook their heads. "No- I thought they were with you- sitting over there and wallowing in your own embarrassment." said Sheen. "Can you please stop with that already?" asked Jimmy. Sheen shrugged, and nodded.

"Look- we need too find Goddard and Carl as quickly as possible- and then get back to the point where you entered this world as soon as possible- understand?" he asked. Sheen nodded. "Uh-huh. We need to find Goddard and Carl- that'll be really easy. They're right over there." he said, pointing behind Jimmy.

Jimmy turned around, to see Goddard and Carl running as fast as the could- and screaming at the top of their lungs, as Retroland began to collapse all around them. "Guys..." said Jimmy. A thick cloud of darkness started to engulf everything in sight, as Sheen jumped up and down with his hand raised in the air.

"Oh! I know this one! We run now, right?" asked Sheen.

Jimmy and Libby had already started running when Sheen turned around for confirmation. "Aw- come on! No head starts!" he yelled. Goddard formed into fly-cycle mode, and scooped up Carl and Sheen as best he could- and put everything he had into his thrusters.

"BARK! BARK!" Goddard barked as loud as he could, drawing Jimmy and Libbys attention to the sky. "Goddard! Lead us to your point of entry!" Jimmy yelled. Goddard nodded, and kept moving.

It was further to the portal than any of them remembered, but finally they made it. The portal was glowing pink- and as everything around it began to fade to black, it became increasingly easier to see. Jimmy stopped in front of the portal- and stepped to the side as Libby jumped through. Goddard stopped in front of it, and looked at his master. "What're you doing, Jimmy? Hurry up!" yelled Carl from his place hanging on for dear life on Goddards side. "Yeah! Quickly!" yelled Sheen, who was currently dangling on the other side of Goddard.

Jimmy looked at them for a moment. "You guys're going to have to trust me." he said. Carl and Shen glanced at each other, and nodded.

"Okay." they said.

Goddard let out a low whine.

"I'll be okay, Goddard. I just need a few more answers, and I'll be right with you." he said. Goddard still looked concerned, but he obediantly flew through the portal with Carl and Sheen anyway.

Jimmy cleared his throat. "Cindy!? Your still here, right!?" he yelled.

"What are you still doing here, Jimmy?" asked Cindy as she suddenly appeared next to Jimmy. "I was nice enough to override the planets complicated reality bending abilities just so you could escape- and this is what you do?" she asked, looking genuinely frustrated. "Honestly- you are one frustrating little boy." she said.

"When I arrived here- I saw a billboard that said 'Welcome to New Bricker City'. I don't know anything about a place called New Bricker City... so what was it doing there?" he asked.

Cindy raised an eyebrow. "You do know that the planet itself is trying to swallow you right now, don't you? Shouldn't escaping be your priority?" she asked.

"Just answer me and I'll go!" yelled Jimmy.

Cindy rolled her eyes, and grabbed Jimmy by the collar. Slowly, she brought his face close to hers- and whispered something. And with that, she threw him through the portal- just as the darkness took over.

* * *

They were in Retroville again. With real grass, and the real night sky. The group slowly stood themselves up, and looked at each other. Everybody was safe. Everything was okay.

"Alright! Mission accomplished!" yelled Sheen. Carl snorted. "Uh-huh, and one more adventure for the diary... I'll probably have to buy another one soon..." he said.

Jimmy stood himself up, and frowned. Goddard approached him, and opened his chest to relay a message. 'Did you find any answers?' he asked.

Jimmy shook his head, as he remembered the words that Cindy had whispered to him before she threw him through the portal.

_'You're not ready yet.'_

He gulped, and shook his head again. "Alright guys- how about I buy everybody pizza as a thank you for saving my life?" he asked. Sheen and Carl bounced up and down with excitement. "Oh boy, pizza! This is like, the bestest adventure ever!" yelled Sheen. Carl nodded aggressively. "Can I get extra tuna, and ice-cream, oh! and some gut chunks?" he asked.

"I'll get you your own special one, Carl." said Jimmy.

"Oh boy!" yelled Carl.

Jimmy turned to face Libby. "Do you want anything?" he asked. Libby ignored Sheens puppy dog eyes in the background, and thought for a moment. Then, she shrugged. "Sure. Something spicy, okay?" she said.

Jimmy nodded, and went into the house to call for a delivery. "Oh- we'd better call our parents to tell them where we've been all day!" exclaimed Libby. Carl and Sheen gave her a confused look. "Won't they just assume you went on another trans-dimensional adventure with Jimmy and put your dinner in the fridge? Thats what my dad always does." said Sheen. Carl nodded. "Yeah, mine too."

Libby rolled her eyes, and walked over to the Neutron house to make the call to her parents.

As the group opened the back door, they were greeted with a smile by Jimmys parents. "Oh, hello there- boys. Oh, hello Libby! Its nice to see you." greeted Judy. Libby nodded. "Hey- is it alright if we stay for a while?" she asked. Hugh walked over, holding a wooden duck in his hands. "Oh- I don't see why not. Its been too long since Jimmy last spent some time with his friends." he said.

After a few minutes talking to his parents, Libby took the phone from Jimmy and called her parents.

"Oh, we just assumed you went on another trans-dimensional adventure with Jimmy and put your dinner in the fridge." said Libbys mother.

Libby returned to the kitchen looking more than a little disturbed that Sheens prediction had proved accurate. The pizza arrived a few minutes later- and before they knew it, Libby had turned on the music, and everybody began to dance and laugh and play together. Hugh and Judy Neutron included, much to Carls chagrin and delight, respectively.

As the sounds of fun echoed throughout Jimmys house, a certain house sitting directly across the road began to feel lonely. Or, it would be more accurate to say, the girl lying in her bed on the top floor of the house was feeling lonely. She grumbled to herself, as she put on a pair of headphones and tried her best to block out the sounds from across the street.

It would be school again tomorrow. Hopefully, everything would be back to normal. She told herself. Libby would be back hanging out with her, and Jimmy would be busy failing at whatever stupid experiment he was wasting time over that day. Cindy nodded at that piece of self reassurance.

Everything would be right.

* * *

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

I would like to take this opportunity to, once again beg for reviews. Seriously. I beg of you.

P.S; To the lone guest(s) who have been kind enough to review my story with your kind words, I must thank you deeply. I really appreciate it.


	9. Chapter 8

_Chapter Eight: Jimmy Neutron and the Quinlin Objective_

Jimmy carefully removed his shoe from his mouth, and pulled himself out of the trash can by the side of the school. He hadn't been to school in a little while and as a result of that- he had forgotten all about Butchs older, meaner and much more violent brother- Biff. A few months ago, Butch had been sent to military school. And after a tearful goodbye to his small group of victims, he had left them all under the care of Biff.

And Biff seemed to relish in picking on people smarter than he was. Which meant that while people like Oleander and Carl were now safe- Jimmy was not. Everything from noogies, to wedgies, to just good ol' fashioned punches to the face- Jimmy got all of it and more. Unfortunately, Jimmy had gotten used to this kind of treatment by now. And instead of feeling angry, or even upset- he just crawled out of the trash can, pulled some mashed potatoes out of his hair and dusted himself off. And then, he just needed a few extra minutes to adjust his underpants to a more comfortable degree and he'd be all set.

Jimmy sighed, as he slowly made his way back home. Carl and Sheen were nowhere to be found- but as far as he could tell, it was already well past home time. Carl and Sheen were probably already sitting down in their respective houses, watching their respective favourite shows on television.

Jimmy grumbled to himself, as he continued pulled globs of mashed potato out of his long brown hair. Luckily, his trademarked whippy-dip hairstyle was still in perfect shape, albeit a little rough around the edges thanks to the potatos and the swirly. Jimmy shuddered. He would have to scrup his entire head with soap when he got home. Jimmy winced, as he felt another soft throb of pain from his shoulder.

It had been less than twenty-four hours since he had been forced to run for his life from a reality bending, people eating planet. And he was already exhausted once again. "I really need a break..." he muttered to himself. Unfortunately, he hadn't been paying complete attention to where he was walking. And for him, that always seemed to mean one thing. If there was one constant in his entire life, it was that the minute he stopped paying attention- almost as if by the hands of fate, he would always walk straight into-

"Oof!" Jimmy grunted, as walked straight into someone- sending them both to the ground. Cindy did not look pleased. She grabbed Jimmy by the collar of his shirt, and pushed him away with the force she could muster. Which was a lot.

"Whats your problem, Freaktron!?" she yelled.

Jimmy stood up again, and sighed. "Hey, Vortex. Listen- I'm just... gonna go home and get changed... can we fight about nothing some other time?" he asked. Cindy growled as she stood herself up. "There isn't going to be a next time, _Geektron!_ If you would just stop walking into me all the time then I wouldn't have to see your stupid face at all!" she yelled.

Jimmy shrugged. "Yes, I'm sorry about that. I'll be more careful." he said

Cindy bared her teeth, and Jimmy could help but flinch a little. She looked like she was about to tear him to shreds or something. He gulped. "So... Okay. Goodbye." he said. And with that, he moved to run away- but was stopped by somebodys kung-fu grip. Cindy had him by the arm, and looked angrier than he had ever seen her. He gulped again.

"What... happened..." she spat out through clenched teeth. Jimmy tried to regain his composure- which was hard considering the fact that his arm was currently being mangled by a certain somebodys ridiculously strong grip. "Wh- what do you mean?" he asked.

This seemed to enrage her further, and this time- Jimmy made no effort to hide his fear. He took a few steps back, only to be pulled back by Cindy. "You... your look horrible... worse than usual... and aw- man, Neutron! You stink!" she yelled, pushed him away and once again- sent him flying into the ground. Jimmy groaned. She really needed to learn her own strength...

Cindy held her nose and glared at him as he stood himself up for the third time in the past few minutes. "Oh- it was nothing... just another trash related invention that exploded and... stuff." he said. Jimmy ignored her look of disbelief. He knew that he was a bad liar- and more than that, he knew that she was smart enough to see through him no matter what he was doing.

But he didn't need her to believe it. He quickly turned around, and continued making his way back home. Sparing a small wave of goodbye as he left.

Cindy seethed to herself. She could already tell what had happened. It was another bully. One in a long line of bullys that took time out of their day to physically abuse the towns so called 'boy genius'. She frowned. All he had to do was ask- and she would rearrange every one of their faces. But of course- he wouldn't. He would _never_ ask for _her_ help.

She growled again, and continued her way down to her self defense class.

"Its not my problem. If he wants to get beaten up every day then thats his business..." she muttered to herself. As they walked away from each other, Jimmy and Cindy forced themselves to think about something other than each other. That had been the first time they had communicated in almost six months.

And they both hoped that by the next time they were forced into each others company, a much longer interval of time might have passed. Nothing too long.

A century, perhaps?

* * *

The warm water pouring down his face made him feel calm again. Relaxed. Jimmy picked up a brush, and started scrubbing his face. His bathroom was small, so it didn't take very long to fog up with steam. But, Jimmy didn't really mind. What he _did_ mind, however, was the word 'Loser' he had just found scrawled across his forehead in what looked like permanent marker. And as he continued to scrub and scrub- it looked like he was right.

Permanent marker. Which meant either a painful procedure to laser it off- or perhaps a chemical compound to render the ink invisible. As Jimmy pondered these possibilities, he heard a knock on the door.

"Jimbo! Your friends are here! They're waiting for you down stairs!" said Hugh.

"Alright, thanks dad!" Jimmy called out. He turned off the shower, and stepped out. With that, he pressed a small button by the entrance, and a giant blowdryer suddenly appeared out of the ceiling- blowing a massive jet of warm air over Jimmys entire body. Then, a set of robotic hands holding a pair of underpants came out of the wall, and Jimmy carefully wiggled his legs into them as the robot arms started to jostle about.

Jimmy frowned. He really needed to get around to fixing that...

After getting dressed and, of course, fixing up his hair- Jimmy left his bathroom and walked down stairs to find Sheen, Carl and Libby all watching TV with his dad. "Come on, Ultralord is on! Do we have to watch this duck show!?" yelled Sheen. "Oh come now, uh- Sheen. Ducks are the very essence of life. With their big feathery wings, their bills- you know they can fly _and_ swim? Now I'd like to see your Ultralord do _that_." said Hugh.

Sheen scoffed. "Oh come one- Not only can Ultralord do _both_ of those things, he can also shoot lasers from his elbows, his knees, his feet _and_ from a gun! What duck can do that!?" he challenged.

Hugh thought for a moment. "I think I saw an alien duck that could-" he started, only to be rudely interrupted. "BZZZT! Wrong! Only Ultralord can do that! Ultralord is the essence of life!" he announced.

Carl snorted. "Well, I know you two are not the smartest people ever-" he said with a derisive snort. "But shir-ley you know that _Llama'_s are the essence of life."

Sheen shook his head furiously. "Nu-uh! And don't call me Shirley- its Sheen!" he yelled.

Carl looked genuinely confused, and Libby took that opportunity to raise her voice. "Well I'm sure you guys enjoy ya'll _hobbies_, plenty-" she said. Carl, Sheen and Hugh each looked equally insulted. "But surely you know that music is where the soul is." she finished.

"I told you- my names Sheen! Sheen!" yelled Sheen.

As the three of them continued to argue about which of their so-called 'essences of life' were more important, Jimmy took a seat next to Carl and waited for them to finish. After almost thirty minutes had passed, with no end in sight- Jimmy cleared his throat. "HEY! GUYS!" he bellowed.

Everybody stopped arguing, and turned to face him. "Can I help you guys with something?" he asked. Sheen and Carl traded glares, and then picked up a small stack of books. "Well- we were kinda helping you could help us with our homework..." said Carl. "Yeah! And our science projects, too. Oh! And our math projects. You can forget about the art project- oh! But the history project! Can we go in the time machine and bring Abraham Lincoln and Napoleon back with us again?" asked Sheen.

Carl nodded. "Yeah... or that nice lady who helped us find stuff... what was her name again?"

"Pocahontas?" suggested Sheen.

"No... I don't think that was it..." said Carl.

Ignoring them both, Libby walked over to Jimmy with a pile of books of her own. "Yeah... I uh- was kinda hoping you could help me out too..." she said. Jimmy raised an eyebrow. "Really? Can't Vortex help you with that?" he asked. Libby paused, and seemed to be thinking about something as she shook her head.

"Its because you went with Carl and Sheen to help me- isn't it?" asked Jimmy.

Libby nodded. Jimmy frowned, and took the books from her hands. "Lets see... did you guys have anything planned in particular?" he asked. The three of them shrugged.

As Jimmy began a long winded speech about history, Hugh got up off the sofa and walked into the kitchen to let Jimmy and his friends have some privacy. It was nice seeing them together like that. Although- he couldn't help but think that there was somebody missing...

* * *

The face on the Neutron punching bad had began to fade, and- after years of pummeling, if was starting to look misshapen and weird. Cindy frowned. She would have to make a new one soon. Unfortunately, she never seemed to have the time. Between piano lessons, self defense lessons, math tutors, english tutors, history tutors and the tutor that tutored her in how to tutor- she had almost no free time.

Right now- she was supposed to be working on her homework. And she would have been- if only her best friend were there.

But she wasn't. She had decided to hang out with Jimmy and his friends. Well- so what? She didn't need her. Or anybody.

Cindy growled again, and stood the punching bag up as best she could. "HIIIYAH!" she screamed, as she punched and kicked with everything she had. She kept going. And going. Until finally the entire room was covered in thick cotton and hard rubber. But, Cindy didn't stop there. She ripped at it until nothing was left, until finally collapsing on her bed- drenched in sweat and completely exhausted.

Had anybody been watching at that moment- like a concerned father who had wandered over to her room to see if she was okay- and saw her angrily disembowling a fake version of Jimmy Neutron, they might have guessed that she was upset. And maybe, just maybe- this hypothetical concerned parent would have stepped away from his daughters room slowly, and warned his wife not to bother her.

It was the first time in a while that Cindys father had been forced to do that. A part of him thought that he should open the door and talk with his daughter about how angry she was. But the greater part of him, was scared too. It was just her violent tendencies that made him act with reproach- but the scary thought that she might tell him that she was upset over some _boy._

Cindys father shuddered at the thought, and made sure to close the door properly as he quietly tip-toed away.

As Cindy tried to catch her breath, her phone started to ring. She groaned, st herself up- and picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Cindy?" came an instantly recognisable voice on the other end. Cindy could feel her heart skip a beat.

"Nick?" she asked.

"Yeah. Listen, Cindy- I'm here in front of the movie theater... somebody gave me tickets and told me to invite the smartest girl in school. You in?" asked Nick.

"YES! I mean- uh, yes! Sure! I-I'll be right over!" Cindy sputtered.

"Cool."

And with that, the phone line went dead.

Cindy let out a low girlish squeal. "Libby- you'll never geuss-" she started, only stop herself mid sentence. She wasn't here... she was probably across the road... with _Nerd_tron. She made her way over to the window, and carefully peeked out from behind the curtain.

There were lights on in Jimmys room. And sure enough, she could see Carl, Sheen, Libby and Jimmy himself all scribbling things on paper. She frowned. They were all smiling. For some reason, she really wanted them to be sharing in the misery she had been feeling until a few minutes ago.

Then- she noticed something. Or more specifically- some_one._

There, standing in front of the Neutron house, was Betty Quinlin. She walked over and rang the doorbell, and stood there waiting for someone to answer.

Cindy closed the curtain. Her vision was almost completely clouded by a flash of red hot rage. She walked over to her bed, and buried her face in a pillow.

"AAAAAAAUUUUGGGGHHH!" her scream was significantly muffled by the pillow- but that didn't do anything to help her throat- which was now screaming with pain. She ignored it. She didn't care.

She was doing to shower- dress up, and go on a nice date with Nick Dean. And most importantly- she was going to forget all about Jimmy Neutron.

* * *

Betty Quinlin was surprised for some reason, when it was Jimmys father who answered the door- and not Jimmy. She smiled awkwardly. "Um, hello... My names Betty... I was looking for Jimmy..." she trailed off. Hugh raised his eye brows, and turned around. "Oh, Jim-bo? You have another guest!" he yelled.

Betty could hear Jimmy yell something from up the stairs, but she couldn't tell what it was. She could hear other voices talking amongst themselves, too. Betty cleared her throat, and waited- while Hugh stayed by the door. Hugh flashed her a nervous smile. "Huh- funny... he's usually a lot... uh... quicker than this..." he muttered. Betty nodded. "Yes, well... Jimmy's always been... um... quick..." she said.

There was another awkward pause, and Hugh turned around again. "Jim-jam!? Could you pick up the pace please, son!?" he yelled. Hugh turned to face Betty again with a nervous smile.

"Um... so- how long have you known Jimmy?" he asked.

Betty shrugged. "O-oh... not... very long..." she muttered. "Maybe... over a year?"

Hugh nodded. And another uncomfortable silence fell over the two of them. Finally, Betty noticed Jimmy stepping down the stairs behind Hugh, and Hugh gave a small gasp of relief when he finally got to step away- leaving Jimmy and Betty alone at the doorway.

"Betty? What are you doing here?" he asked.

Betty bit her bottom lip. "Well... I actually... ah- Jimmy?" she interrupted herself, and moved her hand over to her forehead. "Right... here?"

Jimmy raised an eyebrow. "What are you-" he started. And then he realised. He still hadn't gotten rid of the word 'Loser' that was currently printed across his forehead. Jimmy twitched. Then, he spun around to face the stairs. "HEY! Why didn't you guys tell me that I still had writing on my forehead!" he bellowed.

"I thought you were working out some kinda self esteem issues!" Sheens voice floated down from Jimmys room. "I was gonna mention it..." said Libby. "You have a forehead?" asked Carl.

Jimmy frowned at that, and turned back to face Betty. "Let's continue this in the lab." he said. "This way." With that, he motioned for Betty to follow him as he stepped pass her- closing the door behind him. They made their way around the house, and to the small clubhouse in Jimmys backyard.

Jimmy pulled out a small strand of his hair, and held it up to the small red light by the door. Then, small button came out from underneath it. Jimmy pressed his thumb against it, and winced. "Welcome home, Jimmy." greeted Vox. "Hi, Vox." Jimmy greeted. Then, he turned to face Betty. "Could you stand right over here for a minute, Betty?" he asked. Betty shrugged and nodded.

"Vox- perform a full body scan to make sure she is who she says she is." said Jimmy.

A thin green light spat out of the top of the doorway, and ran up and down Bettys entire body. "One hundred percent match for Betty Quinlin." said Vox. Jimmy looked at Betty with an awkward smile. "Sorry about that Betty. I just had to make sure..." he trailed off.

Betty nodded. "No harm done. Do I get to see your lab now?" she asked, unable to mask her enthusiasm. Jimmy smiled, and nodded. "Voxx- the entrance mat, please." he said.

And with that, Jimmy and Betty suddenly found themselves falling, and sliding around in a massive maze of tubes- until they both landed with a 'thud' on a small mattress. Jimmy wasted no time in standing himself up, and carefully helping Betty to her feet, before he began to rummage around the shelves, looking for just the right anti-marker laser. He knew that he had a few around there somewhere...

As he continued to rummage around, Betty took a look around her. She had heard stories that Jimmy actually had some kind of giant laboratory underground- but she had always dismissed that as myth. But the rumours hadn't been exaggerated. The place was massive. And she could see two big metal doors, that undoubtedly led to even bigger expanses of space- where he probably kept all manner of incredible devices. She took a step closer to one of the many piles gadgets that were scattered all over the place, and accidentally hit something with her foot.

"Ow-..." she muttered.

"Bark?"

She winced, and turned to face the object she had accidentally walked into. It was Jimmys dog. She mumbled something in awe. "Cool..." she whispered, as she stretched her hand out- giving Goddard a light scratch behind the ear. Immediately, Goddards back leg began to twitch, as he let out a low rumble of enjoyment.

"What can I help you with?" asked Jimmy, as he lowered the power of the laser-pen down to its lowest setting, and started to erase the ink with a beam of blue light. He kept checking in the mirror to make sure it was working- and thankfully, it was.

"Oh... well... It's about... Nick..." she trailed off, looking uncomfortable. Goddard rested his head on her leg, and looked up at her. Betty smiled, and gave him another scratch. "He's missing..." she said.

Jimmy turned to face her, and put the laser-pen in his pocket. "Really? for how long?" he asked.

"Well... almost a week now..." she said.

Jimmy frowned. "A week... and your sure he and his parents aren't just on an extended holiday or something? They always have been the type to come back late." he said. Betty nodded. "I thought that too- but when I couldn't reach him on the phone, I went to his parents house and..." she trailed off, biting her bottom lip and frowned. This was her worried look- and while it was, like all of her expressions, irresistably cute- he didn't want to see her like that.

He cleared his throat.

"Do you happen to know a boy my age named Eustace Strych?" he asked. Betty thought for a moment, and then shook her head. Jimmy pondered this for a moment, and then took his seat infront of the computer screen. "Vox- do a Retroville wide scan for subject; Nick Dean." he said. The screen lit up with a birds eye view of the entire town.

"Found. Subject; Nick Dean. Retroville Movie Theatre." said Vox.

Jimmy frowned. "Strange..." he muttered. "So he's at the movie theatre?" asked Betty. Jimmy nodded. "Well, yes- but its a Wednesday night. And I happen to know that Nick is always grounded on Wednesdays..." he said.

"Really? How do you know that?" asked Betty. Jimmy grimaced. "Two girls I know have been obsessed with him for as long as I can remember. I've had to listen to everything about Nick Dean about a hundred times over." he explained.

"Oh... sorry about that." said Betty.

"No- It's okay. Nick is alright. Those girls on the other hand..." he grumbled to himself. Betty smiled. She could tell right away who he was picturing at that moment. That was one of the two things she really liked about Jimmy Neutron. He didn't hide his emotions- and when he tried, he usually did a terrible job.

Jimmy spun around in his chair to face her. "And your sure you've never heard of Eustace Strych?" he asked. Betty shook her head. "Who's Eustace Strych?" she asked. Jimmy sighed. "Oh- just some really rich jerk. He went missing a few days ago- his father asked me to find him... I was kind of hoping that these events were related, but..." he trailed off.

"Vox? Has there been any luck finding Eustace with the radar sattelight?" he asked.

"Negative."

Jimmy sighed. In all honesty- he didn't care if he never saw Eustace Strych again. But Eustaces father... really seemed to love him. He had to find him and bring him back.

"What's he look like?" asked Betty.

"Oh- slicked back hair, always wearing a robe- big square buck teeth, insane laugh... if you ever see him, let me know." said Jimmy. "Wasn't that the boy with those, um- green and pink things floating around him all the time?" asked Betty. Jimmy chuckled. "No- different buck teeth. That was Timmy. He's a friend." he said.

"Alright- lets get going. If we take the hovercar we can be there in a matter of minutes." said Jimmy. "Oh- I've always wanted to try that... I see you and your friends riding around in it all the time." said Betty. "How did you build that thing, anyway?" she asked.

Jimmy smiled nervously. "O-oh, well... I just threw a few things together... an old life raft- I built the propeller out of a special kind of metal that I generated that is about point zero five grams lighter than air- and the technical aspects were easy enough. I built a special steering rig after watching an episode of Myth- anyway, its not important. You- uh, probably don't want to hear me talk about this stuff..." he said. His eyes went to the floor, and his hair seemed to droop just a little bit.

Betty smiled. 'He's so cute...' she thought to herself.

"No, Jimmy. Its very fascinating. Why don't you tell me all about it while we're in the hovercar?" she asked. Jimmys eyes brightened, and his hair straightened up again. "Okay! Lets blast!" he exclaimed excitedly- and regretted it immediately. "Stupid..." he muttered to himself, as the pair of them were sucked through a tube, and back onto the surface.

* * *

Libby stretched, and let out a low groan.

She was tired of math. And history. And english. And... just, homework in general. She was surprised however- that she had managed to get it all done considering she was stuck in a small room with Carl and Sheen. But surprisingly, it seemed to help her relax. Even if she had to occasionally hit Sheen for singing the Ultralord theme song too loud or calling her by some ridiculous nickname with the word 'cabbage' in it.

Actually- it was kind of refreshing. Because for the past few hours, she had not heard a single complaint from either of the boys about... well- anything. Usually, by now Cindy would have already talked about how much she hated Jimmy for an hour now- and would have just moved on to Betty Quinlin. And although Libby loved Cindy like a sister- that could get annoying after a few years.

As she flexed her writing hand to get it ready for the last of her its journey- Sheen let out another loud yell. Libby didn't flinch this time- she was used to it now.

Sheen had his head and most of his body hanging out of the window. "Hey, Jimmy! Hey, Betty! Are you guys going on another adventure- or a date!?" he yelled.

Libby jumped. Betty Quinlin was here? If Cindy saw that-

"Bettys here?" yelled Carl. Carl quickly pushed Sheen to the side, and poked his own head out the window. Sure enough, Jimmy and Betty were standing on the driveway- next to the hovercar. "Hello, Betty! I usually like older women but your really pretty!" he yelled.

"CAR-L!" yelled Jimmy.

Betty looked a little disturbed, but smiled politely anyway. "We're going on an adventure!" he yelled. Sheen joined Carl in the window again, and they both struggled for dominance for a few seconds before Sheen finally prevailed- by climbing directly on top of him. "Can we come!?" he yelled.

Jimmy crossed his arms across his chest. "Have you finished your homework?" he asked.

Carl turned the tables on Sheen, flipping him over and gaining the upper hand. "Yes!" yelled Carl. Then, after a few silent seconds- he relented. "No..." he mumbled.

"Well then you can't come." said Jimmy.

"Aw- come on! How come you and Betty get to go on an adventure!?" yelled Sheen, as he and Carl continued to wrestle for their window rights. "Because _we_ finished our homework! Right Betty?" asked Jimmy.

"Uh... Actually... I've been pretty busy lately..." Betty mumbled. Jimmy raised his eyebrows in surprise, and then looked up at Carl and Sheen- who were both looking at him expectantly. Jimmy sighed. "Alright, fine. When we get back, though- we're all going to finish it." Jimmy looked at Betty. "Together."

Betty couldn't help but grin. "Fine by me." she said.

"Awesome! Wait right- waaah!" Sheen screamed, as he and Carl finally fell out of the window- landing in a heap on the hovercar. "We're okay..." he groaned. Carl whimpered. "I'm not..."

Jimmy spared them a glance, and then turned to face his bedroom window again. "Libby? Do you want to come too!?" he asked.

"Uh... I'm good!" she yelled.

"Are you sure!?" he asked.

Suddenly, Jimmys mom appeared from out the front door. "James Isaac Neutron! How many times do I have to tell use your inside voice!" she scolded. "But we're outside, Mrs Neutron!" said Sheen.

Judy ignored him, and gave Jimmy a stern look. "Sorry, mom..." said Jimmy.

"Come on- Libs! Lets go!" yelled Sheen, much to Judys chagrin.

"Alright- alright! I'm comin'!" she said, as she made her way down the stairs and squeezed past the angry Judy Neutron with a small "Excuse me..."

Judy huffed. "Alright- you guys be back before ten. Okay?" she asked. Jimmy nodded, and jumped into the drivers seat of the hover car- while Carl and Sheen picked themselves up and made room for the girls. With that- Jimmy started the engine, and they were about to take off- when a loud "Bark!" stopped them.

"Oh- I'm sorry Goddard. Hop in." said Jimmy.

Goddard wagged his tail and nodded happily- before flying over with his helicopter ear, and landing in Bettys lap. "Oh! Hello- Goddard, was it?" Betty asked. Goddard nodded and quietly curled himself up- as best as a robotic dog with a rectangular body could, anyway.

The hovercar took off, and fast. They sped past Carls house, were they caught the sight of Carls parents waving goodbye. "Be back soon, Carl! Don't eat after midnight- You'll get nightmares again!" yelled his father. They sped past, as Carl and Sheen waved goodbye.

"Alright, so whats going on? Did Professor whats-his-name attack? Or the really smart_ baby_!? Oh! Was it Beautiful Georgeous!?" yelled Sheen. Jimmy shook his head. "No. We're going to the movie theatre to meet Nick." he said.

"What!? Why do we have to do that? Can't we go fight some ninjas or something instead!?" asked Sheen. Carl nodded. "Yeah... I was kinda hoping we could use our 'honourary spy' medals again... I still keep it in my pocket." said Carl, producing the medal in question from his back pocket.

"Wow! You still have that!?" asked Sheen. "I think I lost mine a little while ago... I wonder where I put it..." he mumbled to himself. Ignoring Sheen, who seemed content to mutter to himself for the duration of the trip, Betty turned to face Libby. "So... do you go on adventures with these guys all the time?" asked Betty. Libby shrugged.

She wasn't sure how to act in front of Betty Quinlin. As far as she knew- Betty was a nice enough person. But she couldn't help but feel like she would be betraying Cindy is she were too nice to her. Libby frowned. If only Jimmy seemed to feel the same way... Libby shook that thought off, and looked at Betty.

"Yeah... we used to be going all around the world almost every day back when Jimmy and Cindy were still talking." said Libby. Betty looked surprised. "What? They aren't talking any more? What happened?" she asked.

Libby shrugged. "Cindy won't tell me. Neither will Neutron. I sort of get the feeling that they just had another one of their stupid arguments but... they've never went this long without talking before." said Libby.

This made Betty frown. She made a mental note to berate Cindy Vortex the next time she saw her.

"So they still aren't going out? _Still?_"asked Betty. Libby nodded. "Well thats-" Betty started, only to be interrupted by Jimmy.

"Hey! Can you guys stop talking about Vortex and I like that?" he asked. Libby huffed. "Oh, come on- Neutron! You've got to suck it up and face her head on!" said Libby.

"Yeah. You two should kiss and make out." said Betty.

"Don't you mean, make _up_?" asked Jimmy. Betty shrugged innocently, and Jimmy frowned. "We're here." he said. Libby and Betty looked around them, and only then noticed that they had stopped moving. Carl and Sheen were already standing in front of the ticket booth.

Jimmy stepped out of the hovercar before Betty and Libby could continue their line of dialogue, and he and Goddard joined Carl and Sheen at the entrance.

"Aw- man! It says its closed!" yelled Sheen. Jimmy frowned. "Goddard- can you make sure that Nick is inside?" he asked. Goddard nodded, and thought for a second. Then...

"Bark! Bark!"

"Well he's definitely in there..." Jimmy muttered to himself. He walked over to the doors, and opened them. "It's unlocked... Everybody! Stay on your guard!" he said. Betty and Libby nodded, as Carl cowered behind them. "I-it's okay... it's just another creepy haunted movie theatre..." he muttered to himself.

The gang walked in.

All the lights were on, and the wallpaper was the same odd yellow color with the same dancing popcorn and soda printed on it. Jimmy walked up to the counter, and looked around. There was no one there.

"Bark! Bark!" barked Goddard. Jimmy turned around, and found Goddard pointing his nose at a big black door with the words 'Cinema 1-A' printed next to it. Jimmy made his way over to it, as Sheen huffed at the movie posters on the wall.

"Pfft- look at this, guys! 'Romantic City: the Movie', 'Heart, Heart Bounce, Bounce', 'Attractive and Angsty' these movies are terrible! Where's a good old fashioned Ultralord movie when you need it!?" he yelled. Carl shrugged. "I guess they just don't make superhero movies any more..." he said. Sheen nodded sadly.

Libby snorted. "Oh yeah? Then what do you call that 'Lantern' movie you dragged me to last year?" she demanded.

"A travesty."

"Guys! Over here!" Jimmy interrupted their commentary on modern film to draw their over to him. "Nick should be directly behind this door." he said. "Are you guys ready?"

"Yeah- let me just talk about how awesome 'Ultralord, Assemble!' was, and-" Sheen was cut off by Jimmy swinging the door open, and walking inside- with everybody following him. Sheen pouted, and followed his friends.

It was dark inside the actual theatre. And from what Jimmy could see- all of the rows of seats were empty- save for two right in the middle. The projector was on- but only lighting up a massive blank screen.

The group made their way over to the middle, slowly. "Nick? Is that you?" asked Jimmy. One of the people stood up, and in the light of the projector- he could just make out who it was. Of course if he didn't recognise her immediately- her voice was a dead giveaway.

"Neutron!? What're you doing here!?" she demanded.

It was Cindy. Jimmy frowned. He could feel an all too familiar tightness in his chest, as well as an incredible surge of anger. He pushed it down, however- and decided to ignore her. "Nick?" he continued, squinting as he made his way closer to the person that was sitting next to Cindy.

Sure enough- it was Nick. But... he didn't look like his usual self. Jimmy frowned. Suddenly, Nick turned his head around to face him with a big creepy smile. "Hello- Jimmy. I'm happy to see you." he said.

Jimmy gulped.

Suddenly, the screen flickered to life. And on it- was the smiling face of Grandma Taters. She smiled. "I am also happy to see you, Jimmy Neutron." she said, happily. Jimmy let out a low groan.

"Aw- really? Why are you here!? Shouldn't you be scraping yourself off of the bottom of some dinosaurs foot right now?" he yelled.

Grandma Taters giggled, which made everybody in the room very uncomfortable. "Now, now- Neutron. You already know that one or two of the so-called 'League' have already escaped. It shouldn't surprise you in the least to find that everybody else has escaped as well." she said.

Jimmy grumbled to himself. "Alright- whats your plan this time? Lure us over here by kidnapping Nick and tricking Cindy?" he asked. "Hey, I wasn't tricked!" yelled CIndy.

Jimmy ignored her completely. Cindy balled her fists with rage. 'The only reason I even came here with Nick is because you... you...' she thought to herself. Libby slowly and carefully fit herself between them, so as to avoid any fistfighting from breaking out as it seemed to be threatening to.

Grandma Taters shook her head. "Actually- I have been probing this young mans brain for information for quite some time, Neutron. Its interesting just how much this boy knows about you and your friends." she said. Jimmy frowned.

"I had planned to hypnotize Miss Vortex now- and use her to lure you out. But it seems you've beat me to it. How very like you Neutron- to mess up even the most carefully laid plans..." she trailed off. "But, very well. I suppose I will simply hypnotize you all right now and call it a day." she said.

"Nick! Seize him!" she ordered. Nick nodded obediently, and quickly wrapped his arms around Jimmy, giving him a massive bear hug. Jimmy struggled- but it was useless. It felt like being wrapped with steel.

Suddenly, ripples began to run up and down the screen. The colors slowly began to fade into each other, as Grandma Taters cleared her throat. "Ahem. Hello again little kiddies! This is Grandma Taters with a special private broadcast!" she said. Libby, Betty, Cindy, Carl and Sheen- all of them stood there looking dazed. They couldn't seem to move. Whatever kind of hypnotizing she had been using before- this kind was obviously more affective.

Jimmy struggles against Nicks grip- but he couldn't seem to move an inch. "Goddard-" he started, only to be interrupted by Grandma Taters. "Tut-tut, don't think I don't know all about your little robot dog." she said. Suddenly, a small drone flew across the room, and let out a flash of electricity. Goddard let out a high pitched whine- and then his lights went dark.

"Goddard!" Jimmy yelled. The drone turned to face Jimmy. A small camera on its face zoomed in on Jimmys face. "Now, now- no trying to escape. I'm watching you..." she said.

Jimmy grit his teeth. He had just a few seconds before it started. He had to think.

Think...

_Think..._

Jimmy felt his head start to pulse. And suddenly, there was a hot rush of pain swirling around his forehead. He grit his teeth. His brain didn't want to do it. It was screaming at him. As the pain slowly intensified, Jimmy scowled. "Work..." he angrily growled at himself. "Just... _work_..."

"Now, now Jimmy Neutron. There's no need to struggle. Just relax and be..._ happy_." said Taters.

Jimmy kept his eyes shut, and tried to block out the noise. His brain still wasn't working. He was trying to think- but all that came was more pain. He opened his eyes and looked at the screen. Taters was smiled. Jimmy kept trying to move- but he couldn't.

"Are you... happy, now?" she asked.

Jimmy blinked. He looked at his friends. They were all in a complete trance. But he wasn't. For some reason... it didn't seem to be working on him. He took a deep breath. "I'm so... happy!" he said with what little breath he could afford. Nick was starting to crush him with his arms.

Taters smiled. "Oh, good." she said. "It's about time! You lasted twelve more seconds than you were supposed too."

Jimmy nodded. 'Whatever fancy new hypnotism technology she has mustn't work on people with a big IQ...' he thought to himself. Unconsciously- he glanced at Cindy. She looked to be completely entranced. He frowned. It couldn't be about intelligence, then... could it?

The big screen flickered off. And the doors to the theatre swung open. "Come here, precious." she said. The drone flew over to her, and in a flash- changed into a small cat. Jimmy gasped for air. "You can let him go now, Nick. He is one of us." she ordered. Obediently, Nick let him go- sending Jimmy crashing into the floor.

"Alright my precious new children. Now that you are all out of the way... I suppose there will be nothing left to stop me..." she trailed off. "But maybe I should destroy you, Neutron- just in case..." she mused out loud. Jimmy nodded dumbly, and started walking toward her.

"Stay, Jimmy Neutron. I didn't call you." she said. Jimmy nodded again. And then quickly pulled the laser pen out of his pocket, and set it to its highest setting. Grandma Taters ducked- but she wasn't the target. Jimmy shot of beam of light into the cat/drone. An array of flashes leapt out of it, as it sputtered to a stop.

Grandma Taters let out a low hiss. "Mister Cuddles! You'll pay for that!" she roared. "Get him!"

Jimmy could hear his friends- and Cindy- running up from behind him. He didn't look back to make sure. Instead, he rushed forward- pushing Grandma Taters out of the door way, and shutting the door behind him. Grandma Taters went rolling across the floor- only to jump back to her feet in a flash. Jimmy struggled to hold the doors closed, as everybody started pushing against it.

"Oh, you are so very difficult..." Taters hissed.

Jimmy gulped. He pressed against his friends with everything he had- but he could already feel the door begining to move. Grandma Taters was standing over him, looking furious. She bared her alien teeth.

"Last words, Jimmy Neutron?" she asked.

Jimmy shrugged. "Well... nothing cool."

As quickly as he could, Jimmy let go of the door and ran past her. She moved to chase him- but Jimmys friends practically flew out of the door, crashing straight into her. Jimmy kept running, until he saw the concession stand. With a deep breath, he jumped over the counter and ducked on the other side. His heart was beating, quickly. And he could feel his mind still screeching with pain. He grit his teeth. He needed to push through it. He needed to think of something.

Grandma Taters and Jimmys friends (and Cindy) looked around. "Where are you, Neutron? Did you want to play a game of hide and-" Grandma Taters cut herself off, when she saw a small tuft of brown whippy-dipped hair poking out from behind the concession stand. She smiled. They approached slowly, not wanting him to know that they had spotted him. They inched closer, and closer. Until...

Jimmy stood up, and smiled. Taters and the group paused for a second.

Then, Jimmy put a giant bottle of Purple Flurp on the counter. Grandma Taters gulped. "No... No... it can't be..." she muttered.

Jimmy nodded. "Oh- it can." As fast as he could, Jimmy poured an entire bag of 'Mint Chewable Gum-Stuff; into the bottle and put the cap back on- twisting it as tightly as possible. And before Grandma Taters had time to order a retreat- or even blink, Jimmy threw the bottle at them, and crouched back down behind the counter with his fingers in his ears.

There was an enormous thud- and the entire counter shook.

Then, there was silence. Jimmy gulped. That... had been a little bit more force than he had predicted. Very slowly, he glanced over the counter. It looked like a purple bomb had gone off- and everything was covered in a thick purple fizz. Jimmy had thought that Purple Flurp would have a bigger reaction to the 'Mint Chewable Gum-Stuff' than the usual cola. But, well... not quite like _this_. Luckily- it seemed like Grandma Taters had taken most of the blast- although everybody else looked equally as unconscious.

Jimmy carefully made his way back over the counter, and approached with caution.

Suddenly- Taters moved. In a flash, Jimmy pulled out the laser pen and pointed it at her. "Don't move!" he yelled. Taters growled, her eyes suddenly becoming completely black. "HOW!?" she bellowed. "How did you resist that!? That was the most powerful hypnosis wave in the universe! Even with your eyes and ears shut- it would have still had _some_ affect!" she hissed.

"I guess I'm just too smart for it." said Jimmy.

Grandma Taters scoffed. "Impossible!" she growled. "No one can be immune... the only way you could have... is if your brain were somehow... _broken_."

Jimmys heart skipped a beat. His intelligence had never stopped him from being hypnotised before. And his brain had been... uncooperative as of late. But... _broken?_

Suddenly, he felt another pulse of pain. He grit his teeth, but it kept coming. And it was worse than all the others. It felt like his skull was slowly being crushed by thousands of needles. His brain felt like it was on fire.

"RRRRGH!" he growled. He grabbed tufts of his hair. He clenched as hard as he could. As if keeping a grip on his head was the only thing keeping it from blowing apart. He couldn't hear anything anymore. And soon after that- he couldn't see.

Everything went white.

It faded in and out. Suddenly, he began to hear voices.

_"There's no need to fear! I am-"_

_"You don't need to save me-"_

_"She's gone... They are all... gone..."_

_Gone..._

_Broken..._

_**Xyzzz...**_

_**Cek...**_

_**A...**_

_**Den...**_

Jimmy opened his eyes again. His vision was blurry... but the pain had ebbed away. He frowned. Everybody was standing up. All around him. Carl, Sheen, Libby, Cindy, Betty and Nick. All of then with looks of equal parts worry and... horror. He slowly sat himself up. He felt... damp. He happened to catch a glance of his shirt.

It was drenched with blood. He felt his nose with his hand. It had stopped- but it looked like it had been pouring blood all over him. As his thoughts started to return to him, he began to wonder how much time had past. Just how pale and fragile he looked right there- trembling on the floor. And...

And...

He gasped, making all fo his friends jump. "Wh- where's Grandma Taters?" he asked.

There was silence, as his friends all glanced at one another. Jimmy leaned against the wall- doing his best to stand himself up. His legs were trembling fiercely. But he managed to get most of the way up.

Carl was the first one to speak.

"Wh-... when we woke up... she was standing over you... and your were... shaking... a-and... screaming..." he mumbled. "She said that... that she was going to go... that... f-failing three times... was enough..."

Jimmy let out a low sigh of relief. "Good." he said. "Goddard was shut down in the theatre, earlier- I'd better go and get him." said Jimmy. He grit his teeth, and started shuffling his way there, when he felt something grab his arm. It was Sheen.

Very carefully, he slung Jimmys arm over the back of his neck. And helped Jimmy make his way over to the theatre. Fairly quickly after that, Carl grabbed his other arm, and slung it over the back of his neck. "Do you remember where exactly he is? Its really dark in there..." he muttered

Jimmy nodded, and gave his friends a gratful smile. "Yeah... of course. Right in the middle."

By the time Carl, Sheen and Jimmy got back out of the theatre, Jimmy had found enough strength to walk by himself- but despite his protests, Sheen carried Goddard by himself. Betty, Nick, Libby and Cindy watched in stunned silence. By the time Carl, Sheen and Jimmy had brushed past them- the doors to the main entrance swung open- revealing the form of a middle aged man in overalls. "Wha-... WHAT'VE YOU PUNKS DONE TO MY THEATRE!?" he bellowed.

The entire group of second looked at the angry janitor, then at the massive spray of purple flurp all across the floor, the walls and the ceiling. And, as the mature young adults they were- they very calmly ran as fast as their legs could chase them. They rushed past the angry janitor- and all piled into the hovercar. Jimmy jumped into the drivers seat- double checked that Sheen had Goddard in his hands, and then drove off as fast as he could- just at the janitor threatened to call the police.

Betty gave a quiet thanks to Jimmy when he dropped her and Nick off by her house, and then- they were back on the road.

Just the five of them.

Finally, after almost half an hour, Libby decided to say something. "Neutron... what was that?" she asked. Cindy winced. And Carl and Sheen both gave him curious looks.

Jimmy sighed.

"Well guys... it seems like... my brain is broken."

* * *

_TO BE CONTINUED..._

* * *

(AN: For those of you who may or may not be curious; 'Xyzcek Aden' is pronounced 'Is' then 'Check' for the first word, 'A' and 'Den' for the second. The X is silent, and the 'y and z' make an 'is' sound, because I told them too.)


	10. Chapter 9

_Chapter Nine: Jimmy Neutron and the Morning After_

"A- And, he sprays the entire control panel with mucas- and the robot starts going _crazy_. Crushing buildings, laughing hysterically- drinking tea without crumpets- so the Emporer asked me to stop it. So, Nesmith and I challenged the robot to a fight to the death! Anyway, long story short- the planet got covered with cheese, and Dorkus' house got filled with this weird goo I found. Also, fire. Well... mostly fire."

Jimmy grit his teeth as he did his best to keep his hands steady. It had been a long night so far- and Jimmy had spent the majority of his time replacing circuits in Goddards body. It looked like Goddards central processing unit had been unaffected, but there were still a wide variety of neural circuitry that had been completely fried. That meant, basically- rebuilding large portions of Goddards boy and his brain from scratch.

It was an easy enough job under normal circumstances. But unfortunately... these were not normal circumstances. Before Cindy and Libby had left- he made sure to scan their brains, as well as Carl and Sheens. He compared them to the scans of his own- and luckily, he had found nothing in their brains that would suggest that they had the same problem. Jimmy frowned, and wiped away some of the streams of sweat that had started to make their way down his face.

The scans of his brain were unsettling to say the least. As far as he could tell, large portions of it appeared to be covered in some kind of... organism. Of course- that was just speculation on his part. It was difficult to tell exactly what it was from the fuzzy black splotches that seemed to be showing up on the scans. All he could tell was that it wasn't just covering the surface. It had some kind of system of roots, burying themselves deeper into his brain. And while he hadn't been having much trouble with basic thought before- the Taters incident had apparently made the problem get much worse.

Now- he was even having trouble remembering how to put pieces together and create circuitboards- something he had been doing on a regular basis since he was eight.

"Are you listening, Jimmy!?" Sheen demanded.

Jimmy nodded. "Yeah, Sheen. Tell me more about your time on Zeenu." he said. Sheen frowned. "Are you sure? Because I think it already sent Carl to sleep..." he said. Jimmy smiled. It was probably almost daybreak already, and his friends had stayed with him in the lab the entire night.

"No its okay- your extremely grating voice makes it really hard to fall asleep." said Jimmy. "Oh, well thats good- hey!" yelled Sheen. Jimmy smiled. "I'm sorry I didn't ask you earlier about your time there... I've just been... kinda busy." he explained.

Sheen shrugged. "Aw- thats okay, Jimmy. Your always busy making something or saving Earth or whatever... It's cool!" he exclaimed. Jimmy smiled weakly. "Thanks, Sheen... Could you-" he was about to ask, only to be rudely and loudly interrupted. "What!? You want me to work of the electric stuff for a while!? Do the welding!? I'll do whatever I can!" Sheen exclaimed.

"Could you tell me what time it is?"

Sheen stood at attention, and gave a loyal salute. "You got it, Jimmy! New York, or Los Angeles?" he asked.

"Retroville."

"Alright- Its... um... hmm... oh! Its three episodes of Ultralord untill breakfast!" he yelled. "So... about six thirty?" asked Jimmy. Sheen shrugged. "Well, give or take." he said.

Jimmy nodded to himself. "Well... okay... Thats another long period of time I've spent without sleep..." he muttered. "I wonder if this... brain... problem... is the cause of my erratic sleep patterns as well..." he frowned. Of course- there was another possible reason as well. A certain dream that he had been having all too often recently.

He shuddered. That was not something he wanted to think about. Instead, he finished the last bits of rewiring in Goddards head, and closed it up with a laser. Jimmy took a deep breath. "Goddard? Wake mode." he ordered.

Suddenly, Goddards eyes lit up. "Rrrgh?" he grumbled as he stood himself up.

"Bark! Bark!"

"Goddard!" Jimmy yelled. He quickly wrapped his arms around the metal dogs head. "I'm glad your okay..." he muttered. Goddard licked him across the cheek and barked again. "Yeah... I should have known that it would take more than that to destroy _you_." said Jimmy, before quickly rubbing his eyes with his sleeve. Goddard barked happily, and gave his master another lick across the face.

Sheen walked over to where Carl was sleeping- on a mattress in the middle of the lab. "Aw... he's sleeping like an angel..." he said with a smile. As if on cue, Carl opened his mouth.

"Snnaaauuurrrgghh..." he snorted.

"AAAAH! It's a monster! Kill it! Kiiiilll it!" Sheen screamed.

"SHE-EEN! It's just Carl snoring!" yelled Jimmy. Sheen got back to his feet, looking embarrassed. "Oh, yeah... I knew that... WAKE UP CARL!" he bellowed. The entire lab practically shook with the sheer volume of Sheens voice. If he didn't feel like he had just had somebody hit him over the head with a speaker playing the sound of nails on a chalkboard really loudly- Jimmy would have been impressed.

Naturally, Carl stayed perfectly asleep.

Jimmy walked over, still recovering from Sheens insanely high volume, and tapped him on the shoulder. "Sheen, if you want wake Carl up- you have to do this." he instructed. Jimmy took a few steps closer to Carl, and cleared his throat.

"Wah- Who's making all that noise? I'm trying to sleep..." Carl complained as he rubbed his eyes. "Wow- thats impressive, Jimmy!" said Sheen. Jimmy gave a modest shrug, and then went back to his computer chair. Carl looked at Sheen and frowned. "What time is it, Sheen?" he asked.

"Uh... I would saaaay... about three episodes of Ultralord until breakfast!" Sheen exclaimed. "Oh, so about six thirty..." said Carl, with a yawn. "I should be getting back to my folks soon... Mom'll be making some hypoallergenic paste for breakfast... unless..." he stood himself up slowly, and walked over to Jimmy. "Do you think your Mom'll make us breakfast, Jimmy?" he asked.

Jimmy shrugged. "I geuss if you asked nicely." he said.

Carl thrust his arms in the air in triumph, and then slowly let them fall back to his sides. "Um... did you manage to find out whats... wrong?" he asked, quietly. Jimmy sighed. "Only from the pictures... And what little data I've been able to pull from the bioscans just seems to show that whatever it is... its completely alien. And as far as the Neutron satellite can tell- I am the only person on Earth who has it..." he said.

Carl scratched his head. "So its a... virus?" he asked. Sheen suddenly popped his head in front of the computer screen, looking excited. "Oh! Is it like that black goo from Ultralord episode three thousands and sixty-seven; 'Ultralord versus the Marvel Lawyers?'" he asked. Jimmy started to shake his head- and then stopped.

"Actually... it might be alittle similair. Although this thing seems to act more like... some kind of moss or something..." he frowned. "And for some reason- its only integrated itself with my brain. I haven't found any signs of it anywhere else on- or inside of, my body..."

Sheen nodded. "Huh... Your not gonna crack your head open and have a look, are you? I mean- it'd be cool and all, but the last time I did that- it really hurt." said Sheen. Jimmy sighed. "I have considered that..." he said, trailing off when he saw Carls horrified face. "But I decided against it. It could be very dangerous."

"Yeah... don't do that, Jim." said Carl.

"Don't worry- I won't."

The three of them fell into a rare silence for a few short minutes- until Carls stomach made a loud gurgling sound. "Oh... sorry- I didn't eat dinner..." said Carl. "Oh... I don't think any of us did..." said Jimmy. He couldn't help but feel guilty about this. He knew that not eating for long periods of time was unhealthy- and although he didn't care too much when _he_ did it, his two best human friends in the world were another story.

Jimmy smiled, and called Goddard over.

"Hey, why don't we all go into the house for breakfast?" he asked.

Goddard let out a happy yip- Carl and Sheen did the same. Jimmy chuckled, and pushed the keyboard out from in front of him.

It was time to eat.

* * *

Judy smiled to herself, as she watched her husband, her son and his friends all greedily eating their breakfast as if their lives depended on it. "You boys certainly have a healthy appetite.." she said, as Carl held his plate out and gave her a pleading look. With a small sigh, she put another round of pancakes on his plate- and watched them quickly disappear in a wild flurry of slurping and burping sounds.

As she started to put all of the dishes into the dishwasher, she remembered something. "Oh, no! I forgot to make _my_ breakfast again!" she muttered. She frowned, and was about to pour herself a glass of orange juice to make up for it- when Jimmy stopped her.

"It's okay, mom. I'll do it." he said. Judy raised her eyebrows. "Really? Oh, Jimmy- It's okay. Orange juice will be fine, you don't need to use one of your new inventions just for me..." she said. Jimmy shook his head. "No... I can do it myself." he said.

Judy had to resist the urge to gasp. "Really, Jimmy?" she asked. Jimmy smiled and nodded, as he put the pan back on the stove and pulled out a bag of flour. He picked up the bowl that she had already used- rinced it, and started pouring in some ingredients, along with a handful of blueberries. Judy couldn't wipe the look of surprise off of her face.

He was doing everything completely correctly. Exact measurements- correct stirring posture... She looked at him with pride in her eyes. He had grown. She could tell. He had already gone up a size in clothes... He was getting big. She smiled. Her special little boy genius...

Slowly, her smile turned into a light frown. He really had been changing recently... and except for the past few days- she had been seeing less and less of Carl and Sheen. She had been over joyed the year before- when she noticed her son starting to hang around the blonde girl from across the street a little more often. But now, she never even heard him say her name.

And he hadn't been sleeping well recently either... even now, she could tell that he had spent the entire night awake- presumably working on something with Carl and Sheen in the lab.

"Are you... okay, Jimmy?" she asked.

"Of course. Cooking is basically the same as advanced chemistry anyway. Just add in the correct chemicals until you achieve the appropriate reaction, add heat- try not to let anything explode..." explained Jimmy. Judy shook her head.

"No, I mean... are you _feeling_ okay?" she asked.

Jimmy shot Carl and Sheen a dangerous look- and neither of them said a thing. "I'm fine, mom." he said. Judy frowned. "Well... if you ever need to talk..." she trailed off, and Jimmy placed a plate of blueberry pancakes in her hands. "Here, mom." he said.

"I love you."

And with that, Jimmy left the kitchen- with Goddard trailing behind him. Sheen and Carl quickly licked their plates, set them on the table and followed their friend, while Hugh continued to talk to his 'breakfast duck' in complete ignorance of anything around him.

Judy took a deep breath. She knew that teenagers were supposed to be a lot to handle. She glanced at her husband, and around the corner- just in time to see Jimmy and his friends leave out the front door.

She really hoped that he was okay. That she could enjoy the plate of pancakes her son had made her without worrying about that look he had in his eyes. But, unfortunately- something, possibly mothers intuition, told her that her son was far from okay.

She just hoped that it was wrong.

* * *

Jimmy stood out in the driveway with Carl, Sheen and Goddard- silently wondering whether or not it was worth going to school. On one hand- he had promiced Libby that he would, so that they would have a chance to discuss everything as a group. On the other hand- it would probably mean dealing with Biff. And although Jimmy had fought countless aliens and supervillains- he still had next to no idea as to how to deal with a common bully.

He knew that- by the ethics of science- he couldn't really use an invention to freeze him, shrink him, turn him into cheese- or go back in time and stop him from ever being born. Mostly because he knew that it would probably end up causing even more trouble for himself if he did. In the end, Jimmy really just wanted to avoid it. He knew that running away from the problem probably didn't seem too couragous, but sometimes running away was the only way.

"What are you doing, _Neutron_!?"

Jimmy flinched at the unfortunate cosmic coincidence, and turned to face Cindy Vortex and Libby Folfax. They both looked pretty- as always. Cindy in particular- although, Jimmy told himself- she was still wearing the same clothes she always wore. With one notable exception, this time.

"What's with the sunglasses, Vortex?" he asked. Libby walked over to Carl and Sheen, and started to talk with them- while Cindy let out a loud snort. "What do you care, Neutron? I happen to have very sensitive eyes- thats all!" she yelled. "Oh? I wasn't aware that any part of you whats so ever could be considered 'sensitive'." said Jimmy. Cindy growled, and took a step closer to him.

"Why you pint-sized little whippy-dipped-"

"So, did you find out anything?" asked Libby, cutting her friend off before she said or did something she might regret. Jimmy sighed. "It's some kind of life form. An alien virus of some kind... I'm not sure what, though." he explained. "I was thinking about maybe contacting some aliens and asking them..." he said.

"So I'm guessing you three aren't planning on coming to school?" asked Libby. Jimmy shook his head. "Sorry, Libby. I-" Jimmy started, only to have Libby hold up a hand to stop him. "It's fine. We got to see you now- and you do look a little better." she said.

Jimmy sighed. "Yeah..." he muttered.

"Do you have any aliens in particular you plan on _visiting_?" asked Cindy, who was making no effort to mask the acid in her tone. Jimmy shrugged. "Not really... I was thinking about asking Tee about that. Or maybe Apri-" he started, only to be cut off by another angry snort from Cindy.

"Oh, I see how it is. Your just gonna use this as another excuse to hang out with your little green _girlfriend_, is that it?" she growled. "Well, whatever. You go have fun- While I have to go apologise to Nick for you ruining our _date_ last night."

Libby was suddenly overcome by the sudden desire to hit Jimmy and Cindy over the head with her backpack and tell them both to shut up for once. But instead, she grit her teeth and did her best to ignore it. After all, if she just hit those two every time they made her want too- both of them would have probably suffered some severe concussions by now.

Jimmy sighed. This wasn't going well... And of course it wasn't. It never did.

He frowned. _'I... I might need her for this... if my brain is compromised out there and Goddard isn't able to help... Carl and Sheen could be in real danger.'_ he thought to himself. As much as he didn't want to admit it... he really did need her.

As she started to walk away, Jimmy opened his mouth to say something- but he couldn't find the words. _'Come on, Neutron... you can do this... just say it... ask her for help...'_ he told himself.

Even though it went against every fibre of his being, every memory of being her rival and every instinct he had to never let her see any weakness... Even though it was flying in the face of everything he knew, he also knew that without her- he might be putting himself and his friends, in mortal danger.

Plus... there was a small part of him hidden away deep inside... that wanted her to be there.

He cleared his throat.

"Would you like... to come with us?" he asked. Cindy stopped in her tracks. "What did you just say?" she asked, turning around to face him. It was hard to read her expression with those glasses on... Jimmy took a deep breath.

"I mean... would you like... to accompany me... and Carl, Sheen and Goddard... to find a way to... fix... my... brain?" he stuttered. Cindy huffed, and put her hands on her hips. "It'll take a lot more than some alien technology to fix whats wrong with _your_ brain." she spat.

"Girl..." Libby muttered to herself in exasperation.

Jimmy sighed. "Maybe... will you help me?" he asked.

Libby smiled as she watched her friend. Although Cindy was doing her best to keep a straight face, Libby could see her legs turning to jelly at those words. _'Come on, Cin'... just say yes...'_ she thought to herself.

Cindy straightened herself up, and scowled. "Why should I help you, Neutron? What would I get out of it?" she growled.

Libby felt the urge to hit something again- so this time, she settled on Sheen.

"Ow! What was that for!?" he demanded, rubbing his shoulder.

Jimmy tried to pick his words carefully. "Well... um... I..." he trailed off, and tried to think. "I could... owe you one..." he finally muttered. Cindy huffed, and was about to turn around when she heard one more word from the little boy genius. The word that made her heart swell to an impossible degree.

Something that she had always secretly hoped that he would say to her one of these days.

"Please?"

Cindy felt her heart skip a beat. He really needed her. His voice sounded so sincere. And... desperate. She bit her bottom lip. She had to make sure it didn't look like she was holding back a swoon when she said what she said next. She also had to force herself not to smile- or have any trace of joy in her voice whatsoever.

"Fine! Whatever!" she said. "Lets get this stupid thing over with!"

A wave of releif seemed to wash over not only Jimmy- but Libby, Sheen, Carl and Goddard too. The gang was finally back together.

_Finally._

* * *

"We'll go using the space car. Its faster than any of the other rockets I have." said Jimmy. "Oh? Is it any safer? As I recall we've practically destroyed that car almost a dozen times already!" said Cindy. "Yes, its safe. As long as _some_ people don't open the door while we're in deep space- or throw paper planes at the driver!" yelled Jimmy.

Cindy huffed. "Oh come on- Its really fun getting them to stick into your ridiculously large hair. Right guys?" she asked. Sheen nodded excitedly. "Yeah! I remember the time we got five of 'em in there and he didn't even notice!" said Sheen. The entire group burst into laughter, while Jimmy rolled his eyes.

He made his way over to the garage, and opened it- revealing his fathers car, 'the Duckie Mobile'. Jimmy quickly pressed a small button beside the door, and the Duckie Mobile suddenly flipped around into the floor- the space car suddenly taking its place. Jimmy pushed the space car into the driveway, and flipped the Duck Mobile back into its rightful place.

"Alright, everybody- get in!" said Jimmy.

"What? Now!? Don't we get some time to prepare!? And what about school, _Neutron? _I can't have a smudge on my perfect attendance record." said Cindy. "You've missed school before, Vortex. Just do what you usually do to keep your records clean." said Jimmy.

"Yeah! Like threaten the principal, or lie and cheat- oh! I haven't seen you steal yet-" Sheen was interrupted by a particularly fierce glare from Cindy, and quickly quieted down.

"Well at least give me an hour or so to go to my house and get ready!" Cindy demanded. "Your not going to put on that make up and the suit again are you? Because you know it distracts Jimmy when he's trying to drive and..." Carl said, before being faced by the withering glares of both Jimmy and Cindy. He closed his mouth, and joined Sheen in looked dejectedly at the ground.

Jimmy turned to face Cindy. "Fifteen minutes." he said.

"No way! Sixty minutes, end of discussion!" yelled Cindy.

Jimmy sighed. "Look, Cindy... as far as I know, whatever is wrong with me could be getting worse as we speak. I don't know if I have a lot of time..." he trailed off. Cindys face looked blank, but as far as Jimmy could tell- she seemed to be considering his words very carefully.

"Fine. Twenty minutes. Deal?" she asked.

Jimmy nodded. "Fine. Carl, Sheen? Why don't you guys go get yourselves ready too? I don't know how long we'll take." he said. Carl and Sheen nodded, and excitedly ran for their respective homes to grab their respective 'action figures'. Cindy and Libby walked across the street to Cindys house, while Jimmy decided to go into the house and pack a few things himself.

Just in case.

* * *

They met in front of the space car at the agreed upon time, each of them holding a bag full of things they had decided to bring along with them. Cindy had changed her clothes, and was now wearing a frilly pink shirt with a pink heart printed in the middle of it. It looked to be a little short for her- as it stopped just a few inches above her hips. Her pants were short as well, but only regular annoying kind of short that made them too short to be pants but too long to be shorts.

Jimmy tried his best not to look at the small bit of skin he could see between her shirt and her pants, and as such- missed the pair of golden earring that she was also wearing. Cindy didn't mind that, though. Watching him squirm around as he tried to figure out where to put his eyes worked well enough for her.

"Why are you still wearing those sunglasses?" he asked. Cindy huffed. "Because I'm cool." she stated, simply.

As everybody piled into the car, Jimmy double checked his inventory, and nodded. Then, he checked on Goddard. Goddard gave a small bark, to let his master know that he too was ready.

Jimmy climbed into the car, and tried to ignore the fact that Cindy had apparently decided to sit in the seat right next to him. "What!?" she hissed. "I didn't say anything." said Jimmy, as he pulled up a screen from the glove compartment, and started to press a vast array of buttons.

"Are we there yet?" asked Carl.

"We haven't started moving yet, Carl. I was just going to call April-" Jimmy ignored another snort of disapproval from Cindy, "And see if she has any information on this." he explained.

"What? You mean you haven't talked to your alien buddies about this _already_? Then what did you _do_ last night?" asked Libby. "Oh! I know- Libby! I know! He and I stayed up all night fixing Goddard! _Carl_ fell _asleep_." said Sheen.

Carl looked indignant. "Well I went through a lot stress that night! First, I found out that there were no llama posters in the theatre- and then I thought that Jimmy as going to die, a-and I thought if I went to sleep I would have woken up from the nightmare..." Carl trailed off in what have been a poignant moment, if Sheen were not sitting right next to him.

"Thats no excuse!" he yelled.

"Is so!" Carl replied.

"Guys! Quiet down over there!" hissed Jimmy. His friends mumbled a 'sorry' as the small screen in the glove compartment flickered, and the image of a Gorlockian appeared on the screen.

It was not April. What little Jimmy knew about the Gorlock race was from trading messages with April every now and again. He could tell that the person on the screen was important.

As far as he could tell, the Gorlockian was male. With a long white beard hanging down past the screen. His eyes were a bright blue- which was odd for a Gorlockian. His face was ridden with scars and peircings. He snarled, revealing a set of sharp black teeth. Everybody in the car except Jimmy shuddered.

"Jimmy... Neutron?" the Gorlockian asked. Jimmy nodded. "With respect, I am Jimmy Neutron. Are you... Aprils grandfather?" he asked. The Gorlockian elder nodded slowly. "What business do you humans have with my grand-daughter." he asked. Jimmy cleared his throat. "We were hoping that she could direct us to an expert in alien... disease." he said.

Aprils grandfather raised his tired white eyebrows, and then frowned. "I see... Your eyes tell me that your mind has been weakened. Is this the case?" he asked.

Jimmy nodded.

"Very well. Come to my planet. I shall run some tests myself. It has been some time- but I was once known as a professor of sorts in the alien field." he said with a smile. "And I would be honoured to meet the human that 'April' has told me so much about."

Jimmy didn't miss the way he said the word 'April'. It seemed like he either didn't like it- or wasn't sure how to pronounce it. Either way, it made him nervous. Jimmy took a deep breath, and nodded.

"I'm on my way." he said.

"Excellent."

With a flash, the face disappeared from the screen. Jimmy turned to face his friends. "Is everybody ready?" he asked.

"Yeah!" They all yelled. Jimmy smiled. It was hard not to let their enthusiasm rub off on him.

"Let's blast!"

The car shot up into the air ripped through the Earths atmosphere and into space within a matter of seconds. Cindy let out a low whistle. No matter how many times they did that- it was still impressive. She slid the sunglasses further back on her face, and leaned back in her chair.

"You still haven't told me why you're wearing those sunglasses, Vortex." said Jimmy.

"Like I said... They make me look... cooler." she said.

Jimmy chuckled lightly to himself, as he began entering the coordinates for planet Gorlock into the cars main computer. Cindy sighed, and shot Libby a quick look of warning. Libby winked at her.

_'Don't worry,'_ Libby thought to herself. _'I won't tell him that you're wearing those sunglasses to hide your pink and puffy eyes. And I also won't tell him about how you spent the whole night crying and hugging your picture of him.'_

_'Although...' she continued. 'You probably should.'_

* * *

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

(AN: I would like to thank Zacharti and AntiqueDreams for writing reviews for the last chapter. I really do appreciate it, and I hope you guys will like this chapter too. As a reminder; please leave a review. Thank you.)


	11. Chapter 10

_Chapter Ten: Jimmy Neutron and the Examination on Planet Gorlock_

Carl had gotten to the third verse of the 'sitting and singing' song before he was threatened with bodily harm by everybody in the car except Goddard. He kept quiet after that. And then- Sheen started singing the Ultralord theme song. And this time, it as his turn to be threatened into being quiet. Finally- Libby decided that it was her turn to sing. And while is sounded much better than the first two, it nonetheless began to grate after the first hour.

They were only halfway there by the time Jimmy finally decided to leave the car on auto pilot, and turn around to face his friends.

"Man- why is this taking so long, Jimmy?" asked Sheen.

"Yeah, _Neutron_! I thought that this things was supposed to be_ fast_." said Cindy.

Jimmy frowned. "Look- we've already left the solar system, not to mention the several other star systems we've already passed through... Trust me. We're moving at a mind boggling speed." he explained. "Well it doesn't _feel_ mind boggling! It feels mind... uh-... _boring!_" Sheen exclaimed.

"Well... Look, according to my calculations- at the speed we are moving we should make it to planet Gorlock in about an hour. Why don't we, uh, do something until then?" asked Jimmy. "Does anybody have any suggestions?"

The entire group gave a collective shrug.

"Oo-kay... Goddard? Do you have any suggestions?" asked Jimmy. Goddard tilted his head to the side, and then opened his chest to reveal a blank screen. 'Spin the bottle?' it read.

Jimmy gave Goddard a long humourless stare. Goddard gulped, and changed the text on the screen.

'Discuss the philosophical nature of life?'

Jimmy glanced at his friends, one of whom was showing Libby how he could fit both hands into his mouth- and the other who was playing with a pair of small toy llamas and whispering something about tea parties in a bad english accent. Jimmy faced Goddard again, and shook his head silently.

'Tell Cindy she's pretty.'

"_Goddard..._" Jimmy growled. Goddard closed his chest and barked. Jimmy rolled his eyes. "You know as well as I do that neither of us are ever going to do that." he said. Goddards ears lowered as he gave a disappointed whine. Jimmy ignored his dog, and pulled his hypercube out of his pocket. After rummaging around for a little while, he finally pulled out a large note pad- and a pen. "I geuss I'll do my homework then..." he muttered to himself.

"Homework!? Seriously, Neutron? Can't you try to think of something _cool_ for once?" asked Cindy. She stretched her arms out and let out a long sigh. "What is wrong with you?" she grumbled.

"Look- if you don't have anything to do accept criticize me, why don't you get _your_ homework done?" asked Jimmy. "Oh, please. I got all of that finished a long time ago. Whats wrong Neutron? Can't keep up?" she grinned. Jimmy rolled his eyes and got back to work.

"Okay..." he mumbled to himself. He tried to think, but nothing seemed to come out. His mind still felt foggy and... sluggish. He grit his teeth and tried to push through it. "Come on... mathematics... I can do mathematics..." he growled to himself. "Just think..."

He concentrated as hard as he could. He could feel a familiair twinge of pain beginning to swirl around the inside of his skull.

"Neutron?"

Jimmy could feel himself staring to sweat. The pain was starting to swell, as he gripped the pen as hard as he could.

"NEUTRON!" Cindy bellowed. Jimmy jumped- and the pain quickly subsided. "Wha... what, Vortex? You almost gave me a heart attack!" said Jimmy. "Yeah... I've got... palpitations..." said Carl from behind their seats.

"What're you doing?" she demanded. "You... You looked like you did last night!"

"Really..." he muttered to himself. Were even basic math formulas going to cause this reaction now? He felt a cold, unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. If this got worse... he could lose the ability to _think_.

"If it hurts so much then don't try so hard!" yelled Cindy. "Here, give that to me!" she said, quickly snatching the notepad out of his hands. She had already started reading through the list of problems before Jimmy could muster up a complaint.

"Hey- what are you-" he started, only to be cut off by Cindy. "Shut up, Nerdtron. Give me that pen." without waiting for him to hand it to her, she quickly snatched the pen out of his hand and started scribbling on the paper. "Here- this is how you work out this equation..." she explained.

"I don't need your help, Vortex-"

"Uh, yes you do! If you can't even solve simple trigonometric equations like these you'll probably flunk the whole grade!" she said. "Now shut you big mouth and pay attention!"

Jimmy sighed, and nodded along with Cindys instructions. Actually... her explanations seemed to make sense. He felt like he could feel a layer of fog slowly clearing over his brain. She really was a big help.

He briefly considered telling her that... but he decided not to. This was the most time that they had spent together in quite a long time- and the very last thing he wanted to do was make it awkward.

Libby smiled at them. "Hey, you guys- isn't that sweet?" she asked. Carl nodded. "Yeah... they're almost as cute together as Llamaboy and Llama-Judy..." said Carl, hugging his toy llamas.

"Rrragh-bla-traggle-braff." said Sheen.

Libby frowned. "Sheen. Take your hands out of your mouth." she said.

Sheen pulled his hands out with all his might, sending a spray of saliva all over Libby and Carl. "Eeeew... _Sheen_!" exclaimed Carl. "Oh- sorry about that, Libby." said Sheen.

Libby took a deep breath, and lifted her hand up as far as she could. And then, balling it into a fist- brought it down directly on top of Sheens skull.

"OW!"

It was going to be a long hour.

* * *

The surface of planet Gorlock was green and lush with vegetation. As Jimmy carefully flew over the planets surface, he saw nothing but wide open plains of grass, tall mountains and more thick forest. Jimmy glanced at the directions he had been sent by Aprils grandfather.

'Look for a large city of white stone, and land close to the big castle on the outskirts.'

Jimmy frowned, as the Gorlockian scenery flew past his eyes. Although he could make out a few small settlements, he couldn't quite see anything that could be considered a 'city', or a castle.

And then, finally- he saw it.

It was off in the distance, but it was unmistakable. It was a massive white tower, reaching up into the clouds. Jimmy drove over to it, and found a massive city standing all around the giant tower in the middle.

This had to be the place.

He took the car down to the outskirts of town, and stopped when he finally found the one building in the whole city that even slightly resembled a castle.

It was tall, and appeared to be made out of white stone. The outer walls were covered in a vast array of gold and silver streaks, scribbled all over- as if without any rhyme or reason. It looked very much like something out of a fairtytale picture book. Jimmy took a deep breath, and opened the car doors.

"Everybody- wake up. We're here." he said. Goddards lights flashed on with a start. He quickly glanced around at the other passengers of the car. Every one of them was asleep. Cindy, still in her seat- clutching a copy of the 'Big Book o' Mathematics' to her chest. Libby was sleeping soundly in the corner, while Sheen and Carl where leaning against each other in the seat.

"Bark! Bark!"

"I'm awake!" yelled Sheen. All of the others woke up, looking considerably groggy. "We're here, everyone." said Jimmy. Cindy frowned and sat herself up. She muttered something to herself as she made her way out of the car, quickly followed by Carl, Sheen and Libby.

Jimmy smiled at them, as Goddard quickly ran over and sat by his feet.

Together, the group walked over to the giant silver doors- and shared a look amongst each other. It was silently agreed upon that it should be Jimmy who should knock on the door. Jimmy sighed, and raised his fist up to the door. After a slight pause, he knocked on the door- sending an echo all throughout the castle.

Suddenly, the doors swung open- revealing a pair of Gorlocks dressed completely in black. Jimmy and the gang froze, as the Gorlocks snarled at them, and then walked past. Jimmy watched them leave, and then-

"Jimmy Neutron?"

Jimmy turned to face the doorway again, and was met with the surprised face of April the Gorlock. She was wearing sleek black body armor, and a helmet that looked almost like the kind usually worn by a motorcyclist, except that this one was encrusted with jewels- and looked to be made out of some kind of black stone. Not to mention the fact that it had two big horns sticking out of it.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

Jimmy cleared his throat- not wanting to let Cindy be the first one to speak for fear that she might start picking a fight again. "Your... grandfather invited us." he said.

April scowled, and spun around in place. "EL-DER! IS THIS TRUE!?" she bellowed. Suddenly, the short form of an elderly Gorlockian appeared from around the corner. He looked to be wearing a black robe- which seemed to compliment his long white beard. Jimmy noted that Aprils grandfather was not wearing a helmet- and had two large horns sticking out of either side of his bald head.

"Ah, Jimmy Neutron! I am glad you made it here in one piece. Tell me- how were your travels?" he asked, flashing Jimmy a big toothy grin. "Boooo-ring! Seriously, I had better times watching my underwear in the dryer!" said Sheen. "Ooh, you do that too? What kind of fabric softener do you use?" asked Carl. "What the hecks that!?" asked Sheen.

Aprils grandfather cleared his throat. "Well, I wasn't aware that Jimmy Neutron had planned to bring his entire team from the Intergalactic Showdown! This is a treat!" he said. Aprils grandfather offered an outstretched hand to Sheen. "Ah- you must be the dangerously unstable one. My name is Kyaa-Graagh-Yest! But you may call me August." he said.

Sheen took his hand and shook it violently. "Nice to meet ya, Aw-ful! Say, do you know where I can find the little adventurers room?" he asked. August smiled, and ran a hand through his long white beard. "Of course! April, will you show the little human to the bathroom?" he asked.

April bared her teeth, but August didn't sleep the slightest bit disturbed. With a long and tired sigh- April motioned for Sheen to follow her. "Oh, wait! I'd better go too!" called Carl. April, Sheen and Carl disappeared down the hallway- leaving Jimmy, Cindy, Libby, Goddard and August standing there in awkward silence.

"Uh... May we speak... now?" Jimmy stuttered. August turned to face him, and flashed him a smile. "Well of course! Would you other humans care to accompany us?" he asked.

Cindy shrugged. "Pfft- whatever. Its not like we have anything better to do..." she muttered. Libby nodded. "Uh-huh... So, uh... I love what you've done with the place. It has a real kind of... uh... castle kinda feel..." said Libby. August chuckled, and placed one of his hands on top of Libbys head. "That is very kind of you, Earthling. But this place has been decaying for quite some time. Time has not been very kind- and unfortunately, I am not the type who finds cleaning up after myself to be a particularly enjoyable activity." he said.

The group started moving, as Jimmy tried to think of something appropriate to say. "Uh- So... How did you fall into the study of aliens?" he asked, doing his best to stand up straight and keep his eyes trained forward as he walked. August chuckled. "Yes, if April has told you the slightest bit about my people- or indeed, if you have observed members of the Gorlock race as I know you have- you will have no doubt fallen upon the theory that we are- as a people- quite the barbarians." he said.

Jimmy didn't want to nod at this and risk offending him, but it was true. As far as Jimmy could tell, the members of the Gorlocks were more interested in fighting than studying.

August continued. "But there have been a few exceptions over the eons. You see, when our kind evolved into our current forms on this planet; it was ruled by the giant monsters that inhabited it- I believe they looked very similar to the dinosaurs of your planet; of course, ours were much bigger and quite a bit more... territorial. Our people had to develop intelligence if we had any hope of survival- and so, we did just that. Of course, after taming the beasts of the land and sea- we began to fight amongst ourselves. After thousands of cycles of fighting giant monsters, I suppose we simply needed something else to fight. And now- after a few hundred million cycles- here we are."

Jimmy nodded. "Fascinating... From what you've told me- your race doesn't seem to have that many differences from my own, aside from the obvious biological differences, of course." he said. August nodded. "Yes, you would be hard pressed to find an alien civilisation without a similar story. Of course, there are different cultures, planets- and as you mentioned, the several biological differences, but we life forms are; deep down- all the same." said August.

"Oh, but- forgive me. I was a teacher of young Gorlockians for quite some time, and it would appear my habit of rambling on to you younglings has not yet been broken." he said, running a hand down his long white beard. Jimmy smiled. "No- not at all. You're hypothesis are really quite intriguing. Under different circumstances, perhaps I could sit in for one of your classes. I would be fascinated to know more about your kind- as well as the other alien life forms scattered across the universe."

Jimmy ignored the groans of disapproval that came from the two girls trailing behind him. "Neutron- I thought we were here to figure out how to fix your brain- not to get bored out of our minds by some old green guy..." Cindy trailed off when she noticed the old green guy in question giving her an odd look. "Uh... no offense, of course..." she mumbled.

August chuckled to himself. "Oh, no- none taken, young lady. Speaking of fixing your problem, Jimmy Neutron- we have arrived at our destination." he said. August and the group stopped in front of a massive steel door. Next to it, was a small black square. August approached it quickly, and slid off his glove before placing his hand on the small black square. The square lit up for a few seconds, and then faded to black. The door slowly lifted up into the ceiling, and August motioned for them to follow him.

"Welcome to my lab, earthlings."

* * *

"Wow, that painting sure is _ugly_."

"Sheen- don't call that painting ugly. What if its one of Aprils parents or something?"

"Then boy, April sure has some ugly parents."

April growled to herself. Her grandfather had taught her since she was a baby- to always be tolerant of aliens. She knew that some of them could be a little stupid and hard to handle- but like her grandfather always said- all life forms are essentially the same. Not physically- but in a more cosmic sort of way. But although she could easily hang around with the likes of Jimmy Neutron, and even his loud mate- these two humans were... Well...

"Uh-oh... Uh... Somebody broke this vase... I don't know who... It-... It was like this when I got here..." said Carl.

April sighed. These two humans were exceptionally infuriating.

"Incredibly unstable one- that is _not_ a painting. It is a potted plant." she growled. Sheen scratched the back of his head and frowned. "Are you sure? I mean, its green and weird lookin'..." he trailed off, as April gave another low growl. "It is also a _plant."_ she hissed.

"Whatever. Hey- when are we going to get to the bathroom!? I have bladder control issues y'know." said Sheen. "Yeah, he does. I remember this one time- we were going to the petting zoo, and Sheen-" Carl was cut off quickly, when Sheen leapt on top of him, and wrapped both of his hands around his mouth. "QUIET! We agreed never to speak of that!" he yelled.

After watching Carl pull Sheens hands off of him, and then struggle to breathe for a little while- April rubbed her forehead. "How does Jimmy Neutron stay around you two without completely losing his mind?" she asked. Carl and Sheen shrugged. "I don't know. Because we're his friends, I geuss." suggested Sheen.

Carl nodded, and gave a small snort. "Yeah, besides- we're not the ones who make him go crazy..." said Carl. Sheen nodded. "Yeah- thats Cindy's job. Sometimes, Jimmy can't be in the same room as her without getting a headache and then travelling into deep space to calm down." said Sheen.

"Yeah. Like the time Cindy broke his, um- explo... something... and it exploded. And Jimmy had to stay locked in the lab for the rest of the day yelling stuff like 'Cuuuuuuurse yooooou, Voooorteeeex!'" yelled Carl. April raised an eyebrow. "I was under the impression that he and his mate were on slightly more... friendly terms." she said.

Carl and Sheen shook their heads unison. "Nu-uh. Just because they like each other, doesn't mean they don't hate each others very existence." said Carl. April let out a long sigh. "Is that why Jimmy Neutron has appeared so very... distracted as of late?" she asked.

"Oh- you noticed that too, huh? Yeah- Jimmy won't tell us what happened but... Something happened. But he's been getting better lately- except for, you know- the bleeding and incredible pain." explained Carl.

"Incredible pain?"

Sheen nodded. "Yeah- he had this wicked head ache last night. There was blood _everywhere_. And usually that'd be kinda gross but awesome- but this time... It felt kinda... sad." Sheen trailed off and frowned. "Actually... he's been getting himself hurt like that a lot recently..."

They fell into silence for while, and April smiled. Now she knew why Jimmy was always with them. They cared for one another.

"Okay- we're here. Be quick, I fear that my elder may very well say something that I would rather he not." she said. Sheen and Carl rushed past her and into the small room with the sign 'Little Warmongers Room' hanging over it.

April could hear their voices echoing throughout the bathroom, and shuddered.

"Wow! These things sure are clean! I could eat a whole buffet off of this floor!"

"Well, you probably shouldn't, Sheen. Do you remember last time you tried that?"

"What!? I haven't tried eating off of a bathroom floor! That was you, in that giant barn!"

"Oh yeah... *snort* You ate that giant bale of hay on a dare..."

"Yeah. I still haven't found the guy who dared me to do that... He owes me four dollars!"

"I think that was you, Sheen..."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... I'm pretty sure that you dared _yourself_ to eat the hay sandwich... and then you thought that it was someone else..."

"What? Man- So I've been angry at myself this entire time?"

"Uh-huh."

"Wow... that's kinda... uh... philosophical..."

April rolled her eyes, and leaned against the wall.

"Hey, Carl- is that guy in the black pajamas a ninja?"

"Shee-een, you know that they don't have ancient japanese assassins on far away planets- oh, it _is _a ninja."

April got back to her feet with a start.

"Ow! Aw- man, I think they're trying to kidnap us!"

"Really? How _droll_..."

"Be silent!"

April grit her teeth. She knew that voice... With a deep breath, she burst in through the bathroom door. "Freeze!" she bellowed. Almost immediately, she found herself completely surrounded by big aliens dressed completely in black. "April, this is the _mens_ room..." said Carl, before being thrown into a large brown sack. "Ow! Be gentle! I bruise easily..."

"What are you doing!?" she demanded.

One of the aliens in black took a step in front of all the others.

"Cease her!" he bellowed.

April jumped backward as one of them lunged at her. There was another one behind her in an instant. The ninja pulled out a staff, and swiped it at her- but April ducked down underneath it, and gave her attacker a swift kick to the face. She spun around in place, and leapt at the leader when she felt a sharp pain in her neck. She stopped, and pulled a small dart out of her neck. Her vision began to blur. She tried to on her feet- but it was no use.

She fell with a loud 'smack' on the bathroom floor. She watched, as one of the ninjas pulled out another brown sack, and quickly stuffed her into it.

Everything went black.

* * *

Augusts lab was big.

Well, actually- big was kind of an understatement. As Jimmy, Cindy, Libby and Goddard stood in the middle of it all- they couldn't help but let their mouths gape open with astonishment.

It was one massive white room- painted as if it were some kind of old museum. And standing in rows along the walls were glass cases, filled with different kinds of machinery, alien skeletons, and holographic projections of the most mysterious planets in the universe. The walls were covered with maps, constellations, and open scrolls, filled with alien writing. There were a variety of lights hanging down from the ceiling, including a massive crystal chandelier, that seemed to be sparkling with every color Jimmy had ever seen- and a few that he hadn't.

It was a mess- much like his own lab. There was dust, and a few cracks in the walls- as well as the odd scorch mark on the floor, but that didn't make it any less impressive. It was practically a maze of alien technology and date. All of it was spread out all over the place, leaving just a few small pathways that spread across the entire lab like a spider web.

Even Libby who- amongst the group, was probably the least interested in anything to do with science, had to admit that the room was impressive.

"Follow me to the observation table, Jimmy Neutron. Let us get you checked out." said August from across the room. Jimmy nodded, and slowly the four of them made their way through the maze to the other side of the room- we're August was standing patiently beside another big metal door.

"Hey, Jimmy- have you been here before?" asked Libby. Cindy coughed to herself, and tried to act casual. "No-... April hasn't even mentioned her family before..." he said. "Oh really? Then what do you two usually talk about?" asked Libby. Cindy coughed again, and started walking just a little bit closer to Jimmy.

"Well... just about how our days have been... She complains about the harsh training regimen in her academy, and I tell her about what happened at school... Just stuff like that. Occasionally we'll discuss the observations we have made in the differences of our species, but that's about it." Jimmy explained.

Libby nodded. "Well, that's nice. There any other aliens you pal around with?" she asked.

Jimmy thought for a moment. "Well... there is this one more." he said. Libby raised her eyebrows. "Really? What's her name?" she asked. Cindy twitched. "Oh, no... he's not... well-... female." he said. "But trust me, it'd be best if you two never met him."

"Why not?" Cindy demanded. Jimmy shuddered. "Look- I help him out from time to time, and... he's sort of kind of... a friend. But... well... he hasn't got a shred of sanity in his entire being." he said.

Libby scoffed. "Please. He can't be as bad as Sheen." she said. Jimmy nodded. "You're right, Libby. He's far worse. Far... far... worse..." he shuddered again.

"Well if he's so insane- why do you consider him a friend?" asked Libby.

Jimmy shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe its the same reason you like Sheen. Sure, he's insane- but his insanity can be sort of... refreshing." he explained.

Libby snorted . "Oh, please. There is nothing goin' on between Sheen and I." she said. Jimmy frowned. "Oh... I'm really sorry to hear about that..." he mumbled.

Luckily, there wasn't any time for an awkward silence to set in, as they finally arrived at the 'Observation Room'. August opened the door, revealing a small silver room. All that was inside of it was a small table in the middle, and a massive laser that seemed to be hanging out of the ceiling, aimed directly at the table.

"Lay down, Jimmy Neutron. You may leave your clothes on for now." said August.

"Okay, I- for now?"

"Well, if your clothes happen to cause trouble for the equipment then of course I will expect you to remove them."

Cindy cleared her throat. "Uh- should we... maybe... wait outside?" she asked. Her face had taken on the slightest shade of pink as she tried not to entertain any of the thoughts that had suddenly entered her mind. "No, no- not at all. Neutron? Could you remove your shirt, just in case?" asked August. Jimmy nodded, as Cindy broke out in a cold sweat.

"A-are you sure? Libby and I could just uh- go outside, and uh- d-do... some uh... okay... Neutrons taking it off... calm down... you've seen it before... don't worry... don't freak out..." she muttered to herself. Libby rolled her eyes, as Jimmy- naturally completely oblivious to Cindys nervous discomfort, took off his shirt.

August let out a quiet gasp.

Just above his heart, and close to his shoulder- was a massive scar. It looked like a crater in his skin, surrounded by what looked to be cracks and small cuts. Jimmy blinked, and then noticed that he was staring at him. "Oh! Sorry- don't worry about this. I meant to replace the scar tissue to hide it like I usually do after suffering a wound like this, but I've been kind of busy." he explained.

August frowned. "You've suffered scars such as this in the past?" he asked.

Jimmy nodded. "Uh-huh. Usually its a simple procedure to close some healthy skin cells and either graft it over the scar tissue, or completely replace it. I don't do it with small scars like this one-" Jimmy pointed to a small scratch on his nose, "Or these-" Jimmy pointed at a few of the small scars he had decorating his hands. "Just the serious looking ones." he said.

Cindy took a few steps back. "Whats the matter, Cin'?" whispered Libby. Cindy bit her lip. "You... you didn't tell me that it was that bad..." she whispered back.

"I told you he got hit. And I also told you that he said that it healed up really quickly in that... uh... weird universe he was stuck in." explained Libby in a hushed tone. Jimmy and August were talking, so it didn't look like he was going to hear anything they said.

"H-... how... How did he let himself get hurt like that... and... what does he mean, 'just the serious ones'... has... has Neutron gotten hurt like that before?" asked Cindy. Libby shrugged. "I don't know, girl. You'll have to ask Jimmy about that." she said.

Cindy frowned. "No. I can't do that... I don't want him thinking that..." she mumbled.

"That what? You care if he's hurt? Come on, Cindy. Its okay to care- you agreed to be 'friends', didn't you?" asked Libby. Cindy shook her head. "That... was a long time ago. And... it doesn't matter. What do I care if Neutron hurts himself like that?" she hissed.

Libby rolled her eyes, and put her attention back on the 'observation table' where Jimmy was now laying down- his shirt now hanging on the corner of the table. August aimed the laser at Jimmy's torso first, and pulled out a pair of large thick goggles. August plugged the goggles into the laser with a small cord.

"Okay, Jimmy Neutron. Let me look at your organs first." he said.

The laser released a bright green light- shining down directly onto Jimmys body. "Wow... your organs are spectacularly healthy, Jimmy. Are you using microscopic machines to keep your body in check?" he asked. Jimmy shook his head. "No... Well- not right now." he said.

August chuckled, and slowly moved the light over to his head.

Then, he gasped.

"Wh-... what is it? Do you know" asked Jimmy.

August nodded silently. "Yes... I've only ever read about it... I had hoped dearly that I would never have to see it in person..." he mumbled.

"Jimmy Neutron... what you have is one of the ten deadliest diseases in the universe. Number three. Dark Matter poisoning."

* * *

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

(AN: Thanks again to the people who were kind enough to leave me with reviews. I do really appreciate it, and hope that more people will follow in your footsteps. Please let me know what you think of the story so far- and yes, I am aware that planet Gorlock has been done maybe two or three times by authors much more talented than I. Let me know if it seems a little too similair to what you may have already seen. I shall be very mindful about that.)


	12. Chapter 11

_Chapter Eleven: Jimmy Neutron and the Alien Gangster_

The door opened slowly, allowing light into the room for the first time in quite a while. The room was completely bare, and padded with thick grey rubber. One of the aliens in black pulled a big brown sack into the room- complaining the entire time that he had a bad back, and thus somebody more suited to physical labour should do it.

The others ignored him. The one complaining about his back complained about everything. That was why they had given him the heaviest sack. So that on the off chance his back happened to break- or better yet, explode- they might finally be rid of him. Unfortunately, the complaining alien did not suffer any kind of serious injury as he threw the sack on the hard rubber floor- and left.

Two more sacks were thrown into the room, and the door was quickly sealed shut.

"Aw- man. I haven't been in a sack for quite a while..." grumbled one of the sacks. "Yeah... Actually... I don't know if I've ever been put into a sack before..." said the other.

"C'mon- really? You haven't been sacked before!? Man! I've been sacked like... twice!" the first sack announced. "Really? Huh... I had know idea that sacks were so comfortable. This fabric is really nice on the skin." said the second. "Yeah, I know... these sacks've gotta be the highest quality sacks like... ever." said the first sack.

The second sack nodded, and started to wriggle around. "This'd be great if it weren't for the... ugh... walls... darkness... CLAUSTROPHIA!" it screamed. Suddenly, the bag ripped open at the seams, and the sweaty, frightened face of Carl Wheezer poked out.

"Ah! It... It's dark out here... I liked the sack better..." he mumbled. The first sack jumped up and down. "Hey- Carl! You managed to get out!? Help me get out!" it yelled. Carl sighed. "Aw... okay, Sheen. Just- come on... Stop moving around! I gotta... undo the knot..." he said, as he struggled with the knot of the top of the sack. The sack wouldn't stop fidgeting around- or more accurately- the hyperactive boy inside of the sack wouldn't stop fidgeting around.

Soon enough, however- Carl finally managed to undo the knot, and Sheen finally poked his head out of sack. "FREEEE-DOM!" he bellowed. He quickly fidgeted out of the sack, and was about to help Carl out of his, despite Carls protests- when he noticed the third sack.

Of course, it was pitch black- so he didn't notice it with his eyes. Rather- with his foot. Then, he found himself being thrown across the room. "WHO'S THERE!" the third sack bellowed. Sheen bounced off of the wall, and back into the third sack with a loud 'smack!'. "Oh- a fighter, huh?" the third sack growled. Within seconds, the sack was reduced to shreds- revealing the angry form of April. She grabbed Sheen by the throat, and held him against the wall.

"Who are you? Why had you kidnapped me?" she hissed.

Sheen tried to say something, but instead let out a series of loud gurgling sounds. He could feel her hand start to squeeze tighter. "Oh- name calling, huh?" she growled. "You _are _a brave one..." she trailed off, as her eyes began to adjust to the darkness. And she could see that the throat that she was on the verge of crushing, did not belong to a kidnapper.

But the incredibly unstable human. Jimmys friend.

She let go with a start, letting Sheen drop to the floor- gasping desperately for breath. "Ah... My mistake... I apologise, incredibly unstable one." she said. Sheen coughed and sputtered in response.

"Is that you, Cindy?" asked Carl.

"No... It is April." said April.

"Oh... I thought you were Cindy because-... Nevermind. Do you know where we are?" he asked. April frowned. "I was going to ask you the same question... Do remember anything about our kidnappers?" she asked. Carl shook his head. "No..." he mumbled. April huffed. "Curse it- I fear that I may very well know who is responsible, but if my estimation is correct... Jimmy Neutron and the others may very well be in grave danger." she said.

Sheen stood himself up. "Even more grave-er than us?" he asked, his voice sounding appropriately... strangled.

April sighed.

"Well... no."

* * *

Jimmy was trying to think. Trying- but not succeeding. And the harder he tried to more it hurt.

It was as if he were slamming his mind into a brick wall- and trying to push it through was just making things... messy. He could feel his nose start to bleed again. His sight had began to blur, and his entire body seemed to go numb. 'I can do it... Just... a little... bit...' he thought to himself.

"Enough, Jimmy Neutron!"

Jimmy couldn't hear Augusts voice anymore. All of his senses had practically dulled into nothing. The pain was intensifying- as if his brain were screaming for him to stop. But he could help but feel like he was getting close. Close to pushing through. He grit his teeth, as sweat began to pour down his trembling frame.

"JIMMY!"

It was Cindy. He stopped. All of the pain began to melt away, and his senses slowly returned. He could smell something... familiar. He couldn't quite place it, but it was soothing. It made him think of an island... Listening to the waves crash against the shore, and watching somebody walk onto the beach as the sun set behind her. She smiled at him, the orange glow behind her lighting up all of her features.

Jimmy opened his eyes, and could only see a tuft of blonde hair. He frowned. It took him a few seconds for him to register what was happening. Jimmy had told August about the resistance he felt while thinking, and August had asked him to try thinking with the scanner watching his brain as he did. But he pushed just a little bit too far...

He felt something squeezing him. Something soft, and warm. His eyes widened, and he felt his heart skip a beat. It was Cindy. She had both of her arms wrapped tightly around him. She was muttering to herself, but he couldn't quite hear her. She looked up at him. Her sunglasses were still blocking her eyes, but he could tell that she was distressed.

"Wha... what happened, Cindy?" he asked.

Cindy stared at him for a while, and then her face twisted into anger. She bared her teeth, let out a low growl. She let go of him in an instant, and then raised her hand up into the air.

'Smack!'

The sound echoed throughout the room. Jimmy felt a hot rush of pain coming from his cheek. Before he could say anything- she slapped him again. And again. Suddenly, her hand balled into a fist- and came down like a cannon ball landing with a loud 'crack' right on Jimmys nose.

August grabbed her by the arms, and picked her up. "OUTSIDE!" he bellowed. He briskly walked over to the door, ignoring Cindys repeated kicks to his chest, and dropped her outside. She landed on her bottom, and scowled. "You need to stay here and gather yourself." he hissed. As he walked back to Jimmy, he felt Libby brush past him and meet her friend outside of the observation room.

There was even more blood streaming out of his nose now. Jimmy gripped it with his hand as hard as he could to stop the bleeding. August quietly offered him a handkerchief- which Jimmy quickly took, and stuffed up his nostrils. The bleeding stopped after a few minutes, and Jimmy groaned as he laid himself back down on the observation table.

"She cares for you, deeply." said August.

"Funny way of showing it..." Jimmy grumbled to himself. "Did you notice anything?" he asked.

August frowned for a moment, and then nodded. "Yes. As I feared, the dark matter has infused itself with your very consciousness. And it appears to be trying to take over your mind. And although your brain appears to have some natural resistance to it- something in the past has ripped that resistance away- and now your brain has been completely covered in dark matter residue." explained August.

"Do you know much about dark matter?" he asked.

Jimmy shook his head. "Just that... its dangerous. And it has an existence that is hard for the brain to properly perceive. I have done a little bit of study into it... I know that it seems to be able to exist in several if not all alternate universes whilst taking up the same space... I know that it is interdimensional- and I know that seems to be able to absorb absolutely anything into it- and transform it into more dark matter." said Jimmy.

"Well... That is very good, Jimmy Neutron. Have you had experience with dark matter before?" asked August. Jimmy frowned, and nodded. "I know somebody who was able to access actual dark matter technology..." he said.

August gasped. "Wha-... How? Dark matter technology is... well- it's the single most illegal things in the entire universe! How could anybody even close to your sector of the universe manage to get their hands on it?" he growled. Jimmy groaned, as he pulled the blood soaked handkerchief out of his nose. It had stopped bleeding now.

He took a deep breath.

"About two years ago... maybe longer... I cloned myself using a machine of my own design." explained Jimmy. August raised his eyebrows, and motioned for Jimmy to continue. "It should have been very simple. A few extra Jimmy Neutrons running around to take care of some of my more annoying responsibilities. Unfortunately, there was a problem. Each individual clone took on different parts of my personality, and supercharged them to an annoying effect. There was happiness and sadness, one that was a, uh... 'romantic', another that seemed to think that it was comedian, a... 'cool' one, and finally- one of wrath. A product of every part of my personality that could be considered... bad." he explained.

August rubbed his eyes and let out a low groan. "An evil clone, Jimmy Neutron? Honestly- while it is certainly impressive that were able to build a cloning machine all by yourself- But you must have known the risks of cloning yourself!" said August.

Jimmy shook his head. "No- I really thought that it would work out fine. But... well, as you can probably geuss- it did not. The clones caused absolute chaos wherever they went. And as a result of that- I was very nearly run out of twon. Luckily, I managed to group my clones together and freeze them. Unluckily however... one of them escaped. I'm sure you could geuss which one." he explained.

August nodded. "The evil clone."

"That's right. A few months later, I tried to capture my evil clone and 'de-evil' him using a complex chemical compound I had synthesized called... uh- 'de-eviliser'. I managed to track down and capture my evil clone- and I had taken him to my lad to begin the de-evilising wash cycle- I mean... anyway- he managed to detach the de-eviliser serum while I wasn't looking- and he tricked me into believing that he had fully reformed." said Jimmy.

"Does this kind of thing happen to you on a regular basis?" asked August. "What? An experiment going horribly wrong and threatening everyone I know and love? Well... yeah." said Jimmy.

"Anyway- my evil clone escaped, and managed to clone an evil version of my entire planet using my Neutronic Flux-feild Duplicator, and a dark matter chip." explained Jimmy. "Luckily I managed to reverse it before my entire planet faded into oblivion. Unfortunately... As I made my escape from the evil Earth, Evil Jimmy destroyed the dark matter chip- engulfing himself and the entire cloned planet in cloud of dark matter... I escaped before I could be sucked into the dark matter universe along with them- and that's the last time I ever saw my evil clone."

August thought for a moment. "Do you know where your clone _found_ this dark matter chip?" he asked.

"I'm fairly certain that he built it himself. It had a... uh- Neutron seal on it... I don't when or how he built it though... Maybe... Maybe he already had it when I captured him..." Jimmy frowned to himself. He had never bothered to keep track of his evil clone before finally capturing him for de-evilization. Mostly because he had just kind of... disappeared. Maybe he had developed the chip on some faraway alien planet.

"Do you know of any group of aliens with any particular interest in dark matter technology?" he asked, after thinking in silence for a few good minutes. August frowned. "Well... yes. Do you think that your evil clone may have come in contact with them in order to develop the chip?" he asked.

"Yes. I can't think of any other way... I don't keep dark matter in my lab..." Jimmy trailed off.

Suddenly, the entire room shook with the sound of a computerised voice. "ALERT! ALERT! INTRUDERS DETECTED! BATHROOM SECTOR HAS BEEN BREACHED!"

August jumped. "What! COMPUTER! Bring security footage to the observation room!" he yelled. A small screen slowly slid out of the ceiling, and stopped just in front of August and Jimmy. The screen flickered, and they could see the image of a hallway. Jimmy noted the alien numbers on the corner of the screen.

"Computer, there is nothing there! Switch to bathroom camera!" said August. Jimmy gave August a look. "What? They're for security..." he muttered. The screen flickered again, this time showing the bathroom. Everything was clean- not one person in sight. August frowned. "Computer... it looks like there's been another security error... Can you-" August started, only to be cut off by the big headed human sitting next to him.

"Wait- pull it back about thirty minutes." said Jimmy.

"Why?" asked August.

"Just... trust me."

"Very well- Computer! Reverse to twenty-seven micro cycles!" August bellowed. The numbers on the corner of the screen began to count backwards, and finally- they stopped. Carl and Sheen had entered the bathroom, and appeared to be just finishing a conversation about hay- when the window opened up.

August growled.

Almost a dozen aliens climbed in through the window, unbeknownst to both Carl and Sheen- who seemed content to stand there talking for a while. Finally, after the large group of aliens in black had completely surrounded them- Sheen seemed to take notice.

"Hey, Carl- is that guy in the black pajamas a ninja?" asked Sheen. Carl rolled his eyes and gave an obnoxious snort. "Shee-een, you know that they don't have ancient japanese assassins on far away planets- oh, it _is _a ninja." said Carl.

August and Jimmy watched as the aliens in black quickly shoved Sheen and Carl into a pair of big brown sacks. April burst into the room and fought some of them off. They watched her stand up, and growl at one of them. Then, she flinched, grabbed at her neck- and collapsed.

As the aliens pulled the sacks up back through the window- and one of the aliens started to complain, making the others roll there eyes and mutter to themselves, the shortest of the aliens in black approached the camera. The alien waved, and slowly removed its mask.

Jimmy frowned. The alien looked... reptilian. Its face was big, and a light purple color. Jutting out of the sides of its head were a set of two or three frills. Its eyes were black, and completely devoid of any kind of emotion. It huffed, the two slits underneath its eyes opened and closed.

"Well look here, see? We've got the goi-rl, and you're little alien pals too, see?" it said. Jimmy blinked. Was that... that voice sounded oddly familiar...

"You've gotta get better security here too, see? You had your priorities set on the Atom- but nowhere else, see? I'd say that's sloppy, see?" it said. Its voice was slightly high pitched, and sounded as if it had come directly from a bad gangster movie from the forties.

"Yer smart enough to get the point now, aren't ya- see? We snuff the goi-rl if we don't get what we want, see?" the alien smiled, and blew a kiss at the camera. "Bring the Atom to these coordinates, see? We're watching you, see? If you try to contact johnny-law we'll start by eating the aliens, see? I've heard they taste like fried Yolkian..." the alien trailed off for a while, and stared blankly at the camera. Seconds ticked by, as the alien continued to stare blankly into the camera. Finally, it snarled.

"See?"

And with that, the alien slowly crawled up the bathroom wall and through the window.

August let out a low angry hiss. "Zee-Lo..." he growled. "Who is Zee-Lo?" asked Jimmy. August shook his head angrily. "A monster. A psychopath... I thought that she was still in prison..." he spat.

Jimmy frowned. Prison... Could that mean- "Wait, _she?_" he asked, incredulously. "That was a _girl_ alien?"

August nodded.

Jimmy shook his head. "Leaping leptons..." he mumbled.

* * *

"Puking plutonium!"

"Gas planet!"

"Um... uh... oh! Holy, Heisenberg!"

Carl frowned as he tried to think of another. He, Sheen and April had been stuck in the same room for what seemed like days to April- but what was in reality almost an hour. Carl and Sheen had decided to play the 'Jimmys exclamations' game, and so far; Sheen was winning.

Carl bit his bottom lip as he tried his hardest to think of another one. Just one more... one more and then Sheen would be stumped. He frowned. "Come on... there's gotta be... no... aww... no..." Carl mumbled to himself, before letting out a low sigh of defeat. "I've got nothing..."

Sheen jumped up into the air. "Yes! Let it be known for now and forever that I, Sheen am the supreme ruler of the exclamation game!" he bellowed.

April closed her eyes. Maybe this was just another trial of some sort. Get trapped in the same room as the two most annoying creatures in the universe and see how long it took her to crack. She sighed. A part of her really wanted that to be the truth.

Suddenly, the door swung open- sending a stream of light into the room. "AAAAH! MY RETINA!" screamed Carl. "Yeah, dang! For a bunch of kidnapping space banditos, you guys sure are really inconsiderate! Where's my glass of water? I've been asking for forever now!" said Sheen.

Three aliens dressed in black walked into the room. One of them carefully handed Sheen a glass of water. "Aw- thanks man! You know, you kidnappers are alright!" he exclaimed.

April stood up, and glared at the aliens in black. She could tell that none of them were Gorlocks- but she could tell that at least one of them was armed. If she took him out and grabbed the guns- she could grab the two insufferable humans and make an escape. The only problem was that she had no idea where she was. Or how many others were around. It would be no trouble if she were alone- but with them around... she growled to herself. She had to think of something...

As April continued to think, the three aliens in black slowly took off their masks- revealing a tri of very familiar faces. The reptilian faces of Zix, Travoltron and Tee.

"Oh! Aren't you the guys that tried to steal our astrorubies, and then tried to sell us as toys, and then teamed up with all of Jimmys greatest villains and tried to kill him- but then Tee became our friend and you went to our side?" asked Carl.

"Thanks for the exposition, gut-chunk breath. Yes, that's us." said Zix. "And what- may I ask, has brought all the way over to this dangerous little planet? Is Neutron stirring up trouble here too?"

Carl and Sheen tried to answer- but instead found themselves wrapped up in Tees massive scaly arms. "Aww- I missed you fools! Its been too long! Far too long, fool! I pity you fools, for not writing or emailing!" he said. Carl and Sheen tried to make a noise- but couldn't under the sheer brute strength of Tees monster squeeze.

"Let go of 'em, Tee- you're gonna squeeze the life outta them." said Zix.

Tee let them go, and watched as they both bounced off the floor, wheezing heavily. "Ah- I'm sorry about that!" he said. "I just get so emotional, fool!"

Carl stood himself up slowly, and then helped Sheen get up to his feet. "Well, we were just here with Jimmy because he's sick... and we were going to get this green guy to look at his brain... And then we got kidnapped..." Carl trailed off. "Oh, really? Because we were just here to help with a kidnapping of our own, I swear..." said Travoltron.

Sheen frowned. "So wait- you guys kidnapped us?" he asked.

Travoltron shrugged. "Well, we had some local help but... like, yeah. We got our orders from-" started Travoltron, before having his mouth quickly covered by Zixs hand. "Alright- thats enough outta you. Well, boys. It appears you've managed to run into some really bad luck." said Zix.

"Really? Aw- man! If only I brought my lucky gumball with me!" yelled Sheen. "Aw, Sheen- did you accidentally swallow it?" asked Carl. Sheen nodded sadly. "Well don't worry about it, Sheen. Because it'll always be with you. Right... here." said Carl, as he pointed at Sheens stomach.

"Thanks Carl... So are you guys gonna bust us outta here or what?" demanded Sheen.

"Well, you know... Our hands a like- tied up, real bad. You know? For real. I'm like, totally serious." said Travoltron. Zix rolled his eyes. "Look, kids. I know we agreed to be your... ugh... 'pals'." said Zix. "But unfortunately, we're going to need to make an exception here. Your dealing with powers far beyond your comprehension."

Tee huffed. "Aw- please, fool! You're just too scared to face you're momma! You gotta tell her! You're your own man! If you can't kill nobody no more you gotta tell her straight, fool!" said Tee. Zix scowled. "I asked you guys not to _mention _her when I'm around..." he complained.

"You have a mom? Wow- do you do like, alien mothers day stuff?" asked Sheen.

Tee and Travoltron burst into laughter. "SHUT UP, YOU TWO!" yelled Zix. "No- my mother isn't really the mothers day type." he explained.

"No- more like, the fire and brimstone type- I swear." said Travoltron. "Mmm! My whole life I've never been scared o' no lady! Then I met his momma. Made me scared. Made me tremble, fool!" said Tee.

"You three! Stop talking to the jailbirds and get over mnyere! We gotta meeting with the Gorlock soon, see?" yelled a voice from down the hall. All three of them shuddered.

"Coming, mother!" Zix called out, before turning back to face Carl and Sheen. "Listen, kids. I'll do my best to make sure you're not tangled up in this any more than you need to be. Okay?" he asked. Carl and Sheen nodded. "Thank you, Zix, Travoltron and Tee." said Carl.

"Hey- why does everybody always say my name last?" Tee demanded, as they walked out of the room- closing the door behind them.

Carl and Sheen sat down. "Well, that was nice. We should really hang out sometime... Oh, I know! Maybe a picnic! We could have sandwiches and pie..." said Carl. Sheen nodded excitedly. "Ooh! I know! Maybe we can find a way to get Good Cindy to make us some more of those wicked sandwiches! That's be awesome!" he exclaimed.

April cleared her throat. "You know those three?" she asked.

Carl and Sheen nodded. "Uh-huh. They were our enemies and now they're our friends. *snort*" explained Carl. Sheen nodded. "Uh-huh. Tee gets a little too physical sometimes, but he's cool. Oh! And Travoltron is really good at dancing! Do you remember the intergalactic disco?" asked Sheen. Carl shuddered. "Ugh... I'm trying to forget... I practised so hard on my break dancing and-"

"You do realize that they are wanted criminals across the universe do you not?" she demanded, interrupting Carl.

Sheen shrugged. "Yeah- but they're okay now. I figure everybody can change. Even hideous alien monsters." he said.

"I HEARD THAT!" yelled Tee from outside.

April frowned. "Do you truly believe you can trust those three in this situation. You are aware, are you not, that you may very well not live to see tomorrow?" she asked. "Oh no, Jimmy'll save us before tomorrow." said Carl. "Yeah, in fact he's probably arguing with Cindy and then asking Goddard for options on how to save us, riiiight about... now." said Sheen.

* * *

"Oh, don't be such a baby Nerdtron!" yelled Cindy. "I don't think that it could be considered baby-like at _all_ to complain about you _punching_ me in the face!" yelled Jimmy.

Jimmy, Libby, Goddard, Cindy and August were all standing in another big silver room. This one, however- had been sealed away underneath the lab, in a door that looked like a giant vault. As they continued to make their way down the long flight of stairs, Jimmy and Cindy had not stopped arguing since they had seen each other.

At first, it had looked like Cindy might apologise. And finally admit to Jimmy, and herself- that she truly cared for his well being. And the only reason she had gotten violent, was because she was angry at him. Angry at him for pushing himself too far- and very nearly into death.

Libby didn't need to ask for an explanation when they spoke outside of the observation room after Cindy had been quickly 'ushered' out. She just stood there and let her cry for a while, and calmed her down. When the observation room doors had opened again, Libby was just about to demand that Jimmy and Cindy try to make up, when August told them that Carl, Sheen and April had been kidnapped by alien ninjas.

And of _course_ they had, Libby growled to herself. If they hadn't, then it wouldn't be a Neutron adventure.

August pressed a few buttons, and deactivated almost fifty separate security codes, before a big golden cube began to rise slowly out of the floor. It opened, revealing inside- a small glass case. About the size of a fish tank. And inside of that, was what looked like the typical cartoon drawing of what an atom was supposed to look like.

Except this one was big- and not a cartoon.

It was about the size of a baseball, with tiny spheres floating around it. "Wow..." Jimmy muttered. The core of the atom seemed to be made up of hundreds of small purple and light blue spheres. The smaller spheres that seemed to be circling the core, were all the same mixture of colors. "What is it?" asked Cindy. A momentary ceasefire appeared to have been called between the feuding pair, as they stared at the atom in pure amazement.

"Well... it's an atom." said August. Cindy rolled her eyes. "Well, yeah- I can see that. I mean, why is it so... big?" she asked.

"This is the single rarest form of energy in the entire universe. It is known, as the 'Lithium Atom'." said August. "My ancestors discovered it in the deepest recesses of space. Millions of years ago... it has been a great secret of my family for generations..." he muttered. "How did Zee-Lo find out about this?" he asked.

Jimmy frowned. "Is she the type to work under somebody?" he asked. August snorted. "I doubt it- but I suppose if the person were powerful enough, then... perhaps." said August, as he made his way over to the glass case and carefully picked it up.

"Come now. Let us go on to the rendezvous point." he said. "Are you sure you want to simply hand this over to her?" asked Jimmy. "Well I hardly have a choice, Jimmy Neutron. And neither do you if you wish to see your friends remain un-eaten." said August.

"They're gonna _eat_ Carl and Sheen?" exclaimed Libby. "That's just..._ gotta _be unhealthy. We've got to save them!"

"And that's just we'll do. August! Goddard, Cindy, Libby and I are going too." said Jimmy.

"Bark! Bark!" Goddard barked in agreement.

"Do you really think there is anything you can do against one of the most dangerous mercenaries in the galaxy, Jimmy Neutron?" asked August. Jimmy smiled. "No. But with my friends help... definitely." August raised his eyebrows. "Oh? Do you have a plan, Jimmy Neutron?" he asked.

Jimmy shook his head.

"Um, no. I can't really think of anything right now or I might... uh... die. So I was kind hoping you would have a plan." said Jimmy. August sighed, and Cindy crossed her arms over her chest. "Gee- what a lot help you are _Nerd_tron!" she huffed.

"_Thanks_, Cindy..."

* * *

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_(AN: Please, as always; leave a review. If you have any questions, please feel free to message me.)_


	13. Chapter 12

_Chapter Twelve: Jimmy Neutron and the Wrath of Dark Matter_

The sun was setting over downtown Retroville, as Betty Quinlin slowly made her way home from the library. Her hair was a mess, and her uniform- a simply white shirt and a long black skirt, was drenched with sweat.

It had been a long day.

First, she had to make breakfast for her entire family. Last year, this had been quite easy. Her father was not the fussy type when it came to food- and was just happy that his daughter was willing to get it ready for him before another long days work. But recently, her father had remarried.

Betty wasn't against it. Her mother had died almost twelve years ago... And she was glad to find that he had met somebody special. When Betty had first met her fathers girlfriend, it was more than a little awkward. She was only in her late twenties, and very pretty. Betty had been watching soap operas every night for the majority of her life, and part of her suspected the new pretty lady in her fathers life to be up to something... terrible.

But there was no need to be afraid. They loved each other. And Betty was reminded of that every time she saw them together.

No- it wasn't her new step mother that was the problem at the breakfast table- it was her new brother.

Nick Dean.

She sighed. Nick was not an easy person to live with. It wasn't just his odd obsession with his hair- or the obnoxious singing she would hear every now and again when he showered. No. It was complete and total apathy for everything other than himself. This meant that his room was almost always a mess. He would leave his dirty laundry strewn all over the bathroom floor, and he kept on leaving lollipops stuck to the walls.

"That's how we get ants!" Betty would say. And then Nick would flick his hair out of his face and say something that was meant to be charming. Instead it just sounded like something a narcisstic idiot would say. Now, Betty knew that deep down somewhere inside of him- Nick was actually a good person. She could see hints of that in the way he would compliment her every now and again, or the way he always tried his best to at least _pretend_ to listen to her when she told him to clean up after himself and study.

She also knew about his less than happy childhood. Her father had told her one night in a somber tone. Betty was slightly grateful for the knowledge on Nicks backstory- but a large part wished that she had never heard it.

It wasn't good. Nicks mother had only been fourteen years old when she had gotten pregnant with Nick. The rest of the story involved a lot of tears, running away from home- and other such dramatic things.

It was odd. As much as Betty loved to watch soap operas, she hated the drama of every day life.

Betty let out a low groan.

Making breakfast for her father and herself wasn't too difficult. But now, there were to other people living with her. Nicks mother worked as hard as her father- and would always leave at around seven thirty in the morning. So- Betty set an alarm clock for six thirty every morning, so that when Nicks mother got into her usual flurry of activity to get ready for work in the morning- her breakfast would be sitting on the table, ready and waiting.

Then, there was the boys. Usually it was bacon and eggs, or sausage with eggs, or some other combination of a thing with eggs next to it. And then, she would have to prepare her own breakfast. And then- lunch. As well as lunch for Nick- because cafeteria food was... well... _cafeteria food._

After that, she would have to practically pry Nick out of the house to go to school. And every morning Nick would refuse because apparently, ones coolness depended almost entirely on how late one was for class. Betty had no time for that. Usually, she ould threaten to mess up his hair- and that would be that. Other times however, she would have to literally drag him to school with sheer brute force.

She also forced him to stop riding his skateboard to school all the time. After all- he had broken his leg almost seventy-eight times in the past year. If it weren't for Jimmy's time reversal technology- Nick would probably have been rendered incapable of walking by now.

Betty sighed, as the name crossed her mind.

Jimmy Neutron.

He hadn't been at school today. She bit her lip. She briefly considered walking over to his house and asking his parents if he wa okay. But... she didn't want to cause any more trouble between him and Cindy.

She shook her head, as if to erase the boyish grin completely from her mind.

After breakfast- it was school. Which seemed to be getting more and more brutal every day. First there was the non stop quizzing, and the long uninteresting lectures- and then there was the school yard. Where she was constantly being hit on by boys that were older than her- or being glared at by jealous girls.

Like Cindy Vortex.

Betty grit her teeth. Cindy had given her a lot of trouble recently. The fact that Betty and Nick were now technically related had not yet really been made public knowledge. Which meant that whenever she would be seen walking home with him, or just talking to him about something- she was immediately the subject of ridiculous rumours. And Cindy Vortex was one of the main offenders. She could hear her speaking in a loud and angry voice every now and again about her and Nick. And how she always needed to be the centre of attention- and how she was only good at being attractive to cool handsome guys, and worthless show-offy genius butt-brains.

The worst part about it all was that there was really nothing she could do about that. Betty and Jimmy shared a mutual admiration, and she and Nick now shared a roof. So they had a bond. So what? That didn't mean that Cindy Vortex had to get angry about it all the time. But- it just so happened that the only boys in her age group that Betty kind of got along with- were the two boys in town that Cindy Vortex desperately wanted to get along with.

And so, Cindy viewed her as a threat.

Betty had told Cindy one more than one occasion that Jimmy was all hers. Because Betty knew deep down, that whatever small bit of affection she felt for Jimmy Neutron was no where even close to the electricity that seemed to course through the air whenever Jimmy and Cindy were in the same room. It was palpable, and obvious.

Those two truly belonged together.

Betty wiped the sweat off of her forehead, and looked grim. After another hard day at school- she had found that he grade average had began to slide dangerously low. And so- she had to go to the library to study. And of course, the libraries air-conditioner was broken. Betty scowled.

And now- here she was. A sweaty mess, walking through Retroville park as the sun set behind her.

"Woah, there- dollface. Where are you headed in such a hurry?"

Betty froze. Her brain immediately began picturing thousands of nightmare scenarios. It was getting dark. She was alone in the park... she shuddered. This wasn't good. She around, and expected to be met by some tall angry thug. Instead- she was met with a familiar boyish grin.

Jimmy Neutron was standing there, with his hands in his pockets. Or... not. His skin was much paler. And his hair seemed to be formed into the shape of horns, rather than the whippy-dip shape she knew and loved. And... it was black. Not to mention the fact that his eyes... were...

Red.

She shivered. The boy who looked like Jimmy smiled. He was wearing a black shirt, with a familiar atom printed on it in red. His pants and his shoes were also black. The only thing that wasn't black- was the white lab coat he had draped over his shoulders.

"What's the matter, princess? You look like you've seen a _ghost _or somethin'." the boy who looked like Jimmy said with the same cocky grin.

"You... You aren't Jimmy..." she muttered. She cursed herself for not being able to hold herself properly in front of the stranger- but something about him seemed... off. The boy who looked like Jimmy chuckled to himself.

"Well, look 'e here! Get the girl a prize! You know- you're the first person in this two-bit town to realise that. I gotta hand it to ya- you're not as dumb as you look." he said.

Betty grit her teeth. "What do you want?" she hissed.

"Woah, there- there's no need to let tempers flare, doc. I just tell it like it is." he said. His voice was completely different from Jimmys. It sounded more... villainous. "No- I'm not the whippy-dip headed boy genius from around here, although I suppose technically I also am." he explained. "I'm the evil clone. You've probably seen this before- I know I'm not rockin' a goatee, but trust me- I'm the evil one all right."

"E... evil close?" she asked, her eyes widening with surprise. Evil Jimmy raised an eyebrow. "Aw, come on- Quinlin! You don't ever watch science fiction? Ya really outta try it out some time. There's this show about a british alien who-" Evil Jimmy was cut off by an icy stare. "Woah- whats with the look, dollface? Someone as pretty as you really shouldn't make faces like that." said Evil Jimmy.

"What. Do. You. Want." she hissed again. "I haven't had a very good day, you know."

Evil Jimmy chuckled again, and shrugged. "Oh- I was just in the neighbourhood, thought I'd drop by and give old whippy-dip my best wishes. Haven't seen him around by any chance, have you?" he asked. Betty shook her head. "Would you tell me if you had?" he asked.

"No."

"Ha! Oh, boy- that sure is rich. You know- you're a lot more loyal than you're evil counterpart. Although I guess that shouldn't surprise you- huh?" he asked. "I mean, she is evil. And kind of a jerk, if you don't mind me saying, doc."

Betty frowned. She opened her mouth to tell the evil clone of Jimmy to go away, or to perhaps paraphrase that with a few choice words of her own, when she heard a familiar voice call out her name.

"Hey, Betty! What's up? It's almost dinner time and.." Nicks voice trailed off as he approached, looking a little confused. "Hey, Betty... is this guy bothering you?" he asked.

"Oh- hey Nick! You might not remember me." said Evil Jimmy, sticking his hand out in front of him with a smile. "I'm the evil clone of Jimmy Neutron." Nick frowned, and slowly reached out his own hand. Evil Jimmy took it, and they shook hands. Nick flinched, expecting something horrible to happen. When it didn't, he slowly opened his eyes. "Aw... Man- I thought you were going to pull a fast one on me or something..." Nick muttered.

Jimmy smiled, and pointed to his hair.

Nick looked up. The gorgeous bangs that he had spent so long perfecting... they were... they were... He looked back at Evil Jimmy, who was smiling, and holding both of Nicks bangs in his hands. Evil Jimmy let them drop to the ground. "What?" Evil Jimmy asked at the horrified looks of both Nick and Betty.

"I _am_ evil." he said.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Nick bellowed, as he swung an angry fist at Evil Jimmys smug little grin. Evil Jimmy batted it away like a fly- sending Nick tumbling into the grass. "Aw, sorry doc. Geus I don't know my own strength." he said. "Well- I gotta blast. Since whippy-dip doesn't appear to be anywhere near to this solar system, I figure I'll go fill in for him with the folks." he said.

Evil Jimmy pulled out a small pen with a light on the end of it. He pressed it against his hair, and it suddenly went from jet black- to a familiar chocolate brown. He tapped his eyes- and they quickly flashed from red, to blue. Evil Jimmy fixed his hair back to Jimmy Neutrons signature style, and flashed Betty a grin.

"Like looking in an evil mirror, huh?" he asked.

Betty huffed. "What about you're skin? Jimmy isn't nearly that... _pale_." she said. Evil Jimmy rolled his eyes. "Oh, please- what am I supposed to do about that? This thing ain't _magic _y'know, dollface."

And with that, Evil Jimmy pressed a button on the strap of his backpack, and was quickly sent flying into the sky thanks to a new and improved jetpack. Betty watched as the evil clone of the local boy genius flew off into the sunset.

"This... probably isn't good." muttered Betty.

Finally, to put an end to her long and tiresome day- Betty pulled the crying remains of Nick Dean all the way to her house, and got ready to start dinner. Her parents weren't home yet, and Nick would probably spending the remainder of the night in the bathroom- tending to his hair.

Betty sighed.

School tomorrow was probably going to be very interesting. To say the least.

* * *

The Gorlock junkyard on the other side of the city was a massive barren wasteland, filled with thousands upon thousands of tons of rusting metal. Jimmy frowned. He didn't like seeing that much technology go to waste- but he decided to reprimand the Gorlockian race about that later.

Now was not the time.

Jimmy landed the space car in the sand. The doors opened, and Goddard slowly made his way out. August came out next- although he was considerably more careful. Because in his hands was a small glass case, with the most valuable item in all the galaxy.

The Lithium Atom.

Jimmy climbed out behind him, and the trio walked across the hot sand towards the biggest pile of garbage in the entire junkyard. August motioned for Jimmy and Goddard to stop- and they did. Slowly, the pile of garbage began to shudder. Suddenly, a line appeared right down the middle, and the entire pile of rusted metal and fuel opened up to reveal a small group of aliens dressed in black. In the middle of the group stood April, Carl and Sheen.

"Oh! Hey, Jimmy! How are you?" asked Carl.

"I'm okay... how're you, Carl?" asked Jimmy.

"Oh, I'm okay. Well, I mean- this sand isn't very good for my sinuses, and I'm kinda being held hostage by these weird space ninjas- but other than that I'm fine." said Carl.

Jimmy nodded. "Well, it's almost over Carl."

One of the aliens stepped forward, and slowly uncovered her face. "Zee-Lo..." August growled. "We have what you want. Now release them." he spat.

Zee-Lo grinned. "Well, well- Here I thought you'd put up a fight, see? But it looks like your precious pride means nothing when your pretty little goi-rls threatened a little, myah- see?" she asked. "Hey! What's wrong with you're voice!?" yelled Jimmy. Zee-Lo looked taken aback. "Excuse me?" she asked. "You heard me! What- do you think you're in some black and white movie or something!? You're a _space_ creature! Stop talking like you're an old-timey gangster!" yelled Jimmy.

Zee-Lo growled. "Oh, my boy told me that you were the type to grind on the nerves, see? Why don't you just shut yer trap- see? 'Less you want me to eat the loud ones face, see?" she hissed.

"Don't do it, Jimmy! Don't let her eat Carl!" yelled Sheen.

"Yeah, don't- hey! You're the _loud_ one!" yelled Carl. "Nu-uh! You are! Have you ever heard yourself sing!? It's like your trying to shatter all the glass in the world along with my _brain_!" yelled Sheen. "Wha-..." Carl looked mortified. "At least I don't sing so badly it makes peoples ears _bleed_!" yelled Carl.

"That only happened two or three times!"

"SHUT YOU'RE TRAPS, SEE!?" Zee-Lo bellowed. Both Carl and Sheen closed there mouths, and looked down at their shoes. "Finally get some piece and quiet 'round here, see? Now listen here- you leave the sanctimonious bucket of bolts there, see? And bring over the atom- real slow, see?" she ordered.

"Who're you calling sanctimonious!?" yelled Jimmy. Goddard whined, and his ears lowered just a fraction.

"I told ya before, shut you're yap- see?" yelled Zee-Lo.

"Actually- you told everybody to shut they're '_traps'_."

Zee-Lo sent a venemous glare back to the hostages, and Sheen quickly went back to looking at his shoes. "I'm starting to think 'bout vaporizing these here rodents, see? Gorlock! Hurry it up with the atom, see?" she yelled.

August took a deep breath, and walked towards Zee-Lo very slowly. He was careful where he stepped. And he watched the aliens in black very carefully as he did so.

"Elder! You... You can't be seriously handing the Lithium Atom over to this _scum_!" yelled April. "You've spent your entire life studying it! You can not just throw that away because of me!"

Zee-Lo snorted. "Oh, he can and will- won't you, see?" she asked. August nodded, and carefully held the case out in front of him. Zee-Lo cackled, and pulled it into her arms. "This is what I call the time of day- see?" she cackled. "Okay- boys. Show 'em what happens when you go home with _me."_ she ordered.

The aliens in black pulled out a series of massive weapons, and trained them onto the hostages, as well as August, Jimmy and Goddard.

Jimmy smiled. "Hey, Zee-Lo?" he yelled out. Zee-Lo raised an eyebrow. "What is it, kid? Got a few last words? Well spit 'em out, see?" she said. "I ain't got the whole _cycle_." she grumbled.

"Well, I was just wondering... would those happen to be class thirty sixty-seven deconstructor weapons?" asked Jimmy. Zee-Lo looked surprised, and nodded. "How did you know that?" she asked. Jimmy smiled. "August told me. He also told me that you had a habit of getting distracted when people ask for last words." he explained.

"I, do-"

Zee-Lo stopped mid sentence, as she watched Jimmy throw a small blue sphere at the hostages with everything he had. The blue ball expanded quickly- and Carl, Sheen and April quickly found themselves completely absorbed by it. "FIRE!" Zee-Lo screamed. There was a hail of energy blasts, as Jimmy and Goddard jumped behind a pile of garbage. August leapt at Zee-Lo. They crashed into each other, and were sent head first into the sand- as they both struggled to get their hands on the Lithium Atom.

Some of the aliens fired at the bubble encasing Sheen, Carl and April- only to find the energy blasts bounce straight off. April did not waste any time in chewing through the chains that were wrapped around her wrists, and quickly set to work on Carl and Sheens.

Very quickly, all hell seemed to break loose. As a few of the aliens raced over to help their leader- they were stopped with a massive piece of steel to the head. Two of the aliens in black appeared to have switched sides, as they grabbed their former comrades by the torso, flipped them around- and plunged them head first into the sand.

As the chaos continued, Jimmy typed a number through Goddard. "Okay, Cindy? Can you hear me?" asked Jimmy, holding Goddards ear up to his own- as if it were a receiver. "Um, yes... Jimmy. I can hear you." came Cindys static infused voice. Jimmy frowned. "Is there something wrong? Did you tell the Gorlockian patrol about the situation?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah... we're in the station right now..." said Cindy.

"What!? In the station!? We need you here! Right now, Cindy!" he yelled.

"Well that's going to be a little difficult _Nerd_tron." she hissed. "We have a problem."

Meanwhile, August and Zee-Lo continued to fight over the Lithium Atom. Both of them knew their own forms of alien karate, but unfortunately for both of them- neither of them was younger than a hundred cycles. Which meant that while, by now- a hundred cycles ago- they would still be punching and kicking at each other by now- they were instead reduced to sweaty, wheezy, heaps in the sand.

Still, they continued to struggle against one another, as they both rushed for the Lithium Atom. Suddenly, Zee-Lo finally managed to pick it up again. And- seeing that August was about to jump on top of her and pin her once and for all- she threw the atom into the air as hard as she could.

Suddenly, a big mechanical hand reached into the sky, and plucked the glass case holding the atom out of the air.

Both Zee-Lo and August could feel their breath hitch in their throats. They watched the arm retract back to the ground, and August breathed a sigh of relief, as Zee-Lo cursed. Goddard was holding the Atom just over his body, with a mechanical hand coming out of his back.

"Whose sanctimonious now?" asked Jimmy.

Zee-Lo growled, as August pushed her into the sand. "You think you've won, see?" she screamed. "You haven't! This hasn't even _begun_!"

August growled. "Shut up!" he hissed. "Look, your allies have already fallen!"

Zee-Lo looked at her group of highly trained alien assassins. They were all lying in a pile, with Tee and Apirl standing on top of them, looking victorious. Travoltron crawled out from underneath the pile, and groaned. "Ow! I mean- I swear..." he mumbled. Slowly, one of the masked aliens stepped out from behind the pile of unconscious bodies. It was holding a gun.

Slowly, the alien took of its mask.

"ZIX!?" Zee-Lo bellowed. Zix nodded. "I am sorry, mother. I cannot... no... I don't want to hurt those creatures." he yelled. He seemed to wipe some tears from his eyes as he continued. "They... they're our friends..." he muttered.

Zee-Lo hissed. "Oh, you are going to be _so very grounded_- see?"

Suddenly, a massive ship took over the entire sky. It landed, slowly. And as soon as it opened up, an army of Gorlockians poured out of it- one after another. They surrounded everyone, and stood at attention. Finally, the shortest one of them all- a Gorlockian wearing a massive crown, and a wealth of jewelry down his jacket, walked out of the ship with a grim smile.

"August the Gorlock! You are hereby ordered to surrender the Lithium Atom!" he bellowed. August faltered. "Wh-... _what?"_ he asked. The short Gorlockian grinned. "You heard me. I am General Star Ranger First Class; Zyn-Thar. And you _will_ obey me, and hand me the Lithium Atom." he growled.

August froze. "You... You're how she knew my security layout... you're... You're the one behind all of this- AREN'T YOU!?" he roared.

Zyn-Thar chuckled. "That is quite an accusation, _sir._" he spat.

"How did you know about this?" August demanded. "The Lithium Atom has been a sacred secret of my family for thousands of years!" he bellowed.

Zyn-Thar snorted. "Oh- and you showed it to these... _Humans_ rather quickly." he spat. "And yet your family saw fit to hide this powerful object from your own _kind?_" he growled. "HAND IT OVER!"

August shook his head. "I would rather die." he spat. Zyn-thar shrugged, and motioned to one of the soldiers. In one quick motion, the soldier drew his weapon, aimed it at August- and fired.

"EEEELDER!" April screamed. Tee wrapped his arms around her to stop her from running over to the soldier and getting herself killed. He struggled to keep her in place, and Travoltron had to rush over to help. Zix flinched. "One more..." he muttered to himself.

One more death to think about at night.

One of the soldiers approached the body, and patted it down. "It's not here, sir." said the soldier. "WHAT!? BUT-" Zyn-Thar started. Then, he noticed Jimmy. Or more accurately, he noticed the glass case that Jimmy and Goddard were standing in front of- trying in vain to hide from eyesight. The Lithium Atom.

Zyn-Thar smiled. "Oh, human boy?" he asked. "Would you care to hand that over to me? You wouldn't want anybody else to die needlessly, would you?"

Jimmy growled. "Never."

"Oh? Did you wish to die as well?" he asked, lifting a hand up to give the order to one of the soldiers.

"No, I don't. Do you want the atom to 'die'?" asked Jimmy. Zyn-Thar stopped. "That's what I thought. If you move an inch- my robot dog will self destruct. Destroying your precious atom." said Jimmy.

Zyn-Thar scowled. "You would kill yourself as well, just to spite me?" he huffed.

Jimmy nodded.

"We could have used somebody like you in our army..." Zyn-Thar muttered. "Very well, bring out the humans!" he yelled. Slowly, a pair of soldiers appeared out of the ship, carrying Cindy and Libby. Both of them were wrapped with chains, and gagged. They muffled screams, and, Jimmy imagined, quite a few expletives, as the soldier threw them into the sand.

"Libby!" screamed Sheen. Without thinking, he ran out of the bubble shield, and made it almost all the way over to her before Zyn-Thar yelled. "STOP!"

Sheen froze.

"You humans are so full of surprises..." he muttered to himself. "These two... they were quite the fighters... but I am glad you sent them over. Without them... we wouldn't really have anything to bargain with- now would we?" he chuckled.

As Zyn-Thar continued to talk about how inferior the human race was as a species and so on, and so on- Cindy started wriggling in her chains. "Hey... Libby... I think I managed to get loose..." she whispered. Libby nodded. "Yeah... hairpins sure come in handy..." she muttered. "I think we can make it back to the shield. If we do that- I know Neutron can get the upper hand!" said Cindy.

Libby frowned. "I don't know Cindy..." she muttered. "It'll be fine... trust me." said Cindy. Libby looked into the eyes of her best friend in the world. She was confident. Libby knew that look. That was the look she had when she was about to do something impossible. Libby smiled.

"Okay." she whispered back.

Jimmy noticed them wriggling about, and felt a sense of dread sink ito his stomach. 'No... don't do it. Please don't do it.' Jimmy quietly begged.

"NOW!" yelled Cindy.

Cindy and Libby shook off their chains and shackles, and took off- faster than they had ever run before. Almost immediately, there was a fire storm of lasers flying behind them. Cindy could see the bubble getting close. They were going to make it... They were...

She turned to face Libby with a smile. As she did- she noticed a small red burst of energy racing towards her. Cindy could already make out its trajectory. It was headed straight for the back of Libbys head. She opened her mouth to say something- when suddenly there was a blur.

"LOOK OUT!"

There was a hit. And somebody collapsed into the sand. Cindy tripped, and fell into straight into the bubble. Unfortunately, one person was not so lucky.

On the ground, with a massive hole in his chest- lay Sheen. Libby stood herself up, and saw him lying there immediately.

His mouth was twitching. All of the gunfire suddenly halted at Zyn-Thars command. He smiled, as he watched the girl crawl over to the boy. Everything went silent.

Libby couldn't feel anything. Her entire body went numb. She slowly pressed her head down next to his, and listened to the words he was trying with all of his might to spit out.

"Y-... you... okay?..." he whispered.

Libby nodded.

"Awe... so... me..."

He was gone.

There was silence. And more silence. Finally, Libby felt tears begin to stream down her face. This... couldn't be happening... right? Sheen was always getting himself hurt... and he would... he would wake up and... say something about Ultralord and... and...

She let out a low sob. "Sheen..." she whimpered. "Please, no... no..."

Zyn-Thar cackled. "Now- humans! If you don't want anymore of your little friends to die, I suggest you..." Zyn-Thar trailed off, as he watched Jimmy slowly step away from the Lithium Atom. "Oh! Smart boy! Now pick it up!" he yelled.

Jimmy stared at him. His face completely devoid of emotion.

"Kneel." he muttered.

Zyn-Thar raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me, little boy? What was that?" he asked.

"Kneel." Jimmy repeated.

Zyn-Thar broke out into laughter. "Oh, it seems that the Earth boy has lost his-"

**"KNEEEEEEL!"**

A wave of power rushed across the entire city. All of a sudden, everything was dark. The sky had begun to fill with a thick black smoke. Zyn-Thar flinched. "F-FIRE!" he belowed.

Jimmy raised his hand in front of him. Opened it- and then balled it into a fist. Immediantly- all of the soldiers were sent face first into the sand. They screamed, as pain began to burn throughout every cell in their bodies.

It was pitch black now. Streams of red lightning shot out of the sky, as Jimmy stepped closer to the Gorlockian general.

**"Kneel before me."** Jimmys voice boomed throughout the entire planet. It sounded deeper. Almost... possessed. Zyn-Thar couldn't stop his knees from shaking. His entire body was practically screaming with fear- but he couldn't make a sound. His body wouldn't move.

The smoke began to slowly engulf Jimmys body, drawing into his mouth and out of his nose. It almost seemed to be leaking out of his skin.

Jimmy raised his hand again, and Zyn-Thar suddenly found himself floating far up into the air.

**"I can feel... your mind. It is so very... sick. You feel so little for anything... Oh? Is that megalomania I sense? How very typical. Oh- I see. You were obsessed with it, were you?"** asked Jimmy. Zyn-Thar tried to make a sound- any sound- but he couldn't do anything. He could feel his limbs beginning to twist around in unnatural ways.

**"A mysterious power. One that not even the greatest Gorlockian scholar of them all could not seem to unravel. Oh yes, what a deliciously dull backstory. Truly, your character is one of simple idiocy."** said Jimmy. **"Did you truly believe that with it- you would be able to conquer all of those planets you wished too? More than that- was that truly going to fill the hole in your worthless psyche? Hmm?"**

Behind him, Jimmy could sense Zee-Lo standing herself up,and attempting to run away.

**"If you do indeed make it to your ship, little alien- rest assured that I will happily rip you to shreds and reconstruct you to repeat the process over a few times."** smiled Jimmy.

Zee-Lo stopped in her tracks. "You... you are not Jimmy Neutron, are you?" she asked.

Jimmy smiled and turned to face her.

**"Do you mean the one with the sense of mercy? Oh... by no means."**

* * *

Jimmy was all alone in a big white room. He stood himself up, and looked around.

**"Do you recognize this?"** asked a voice.

Jimmy looked around for the owner of the voice- but couldn't find it. "No..." he answered.

**"Ah, yes. Of course not. Well- nonetheless... I am here to give you a nice and cryptic warning about the future before I ask you a very important question."**

"Why?"

**"Well that is the purpose of we deep disembodied voices. We spread cryptic messages, and maybe occasionally remind you of the past. Oh- But that is not until much later. For now, allow me to ask you one last time- do you remember this place?"**

Jimmy squinted. Off in the distance... he could see something... a billboard...

"New... Bricker City?" he asked.

**"Oh! A lucky guess! Yes, that is precisely almost where we are. Of course- it would be more accurate to say that we are within the ruins of the city, and not the city itself. But hey- details. I know you do not remember this place Jimmy Neutron. But this happens to be the place of my birth."**

Jimmy frowned. "You mean... I got the dark matter poisoning... here? Well then how did Carl and Sheen-"

**"Oh, what you have is not dark matter poisoning, little Neutron. No, no. It is much worse than that. Your entire being has been soaked with it. It exists even within your thoughts. Tiny black cells of pure... well... nothingness."**

"Then... what do you mean by 'you were born here'?"

**"Ah- but its not cryptic if I explain it, Neutron. No- I'm afraid that's it for that. Now, we must move on to the question."**

"Fine... what is it?"

**"You have just watched one of your best friends in the world die- not to mention the old alien guy. So tell me- what would you sacrifice to bring them back?"**

Jimmy felt a hitch in his throat. Tears were beginning to well up in his eyes. "Sheen..." he muttered.

**"Come now. We are not here to see whether or not you have been sufficiently saddened by the death of your friend. We are here to see what you would be willing to risk in order to give him a second chance."**

"You can do that?"

**"Sure. I am a disembodied voice, and a part of a massive non-organism known as dark matter. I can do anything."**

"Then... I... I'll give you everything..." Jimmy muttered.

**"Oh? Everything?"**

"Yeah... I'll give you my brain... my body... just... please..."

**"Well, I'll settle for your... memory. That doesn't sound too bad- does it?"**

Jimmy grit his teeth and nodded.

**"Oh, excellent. Now the fun begins."**

* * *

Jimmy sighed, as he slammed Zyn-Thar into the sand with a massive 'crunch'. It was already time. Jimmy rose his hand into the air, and massive plumes of smoke ran out of it. One of them moved through the air, and landed on Sheen. The other went further back, and landed on August. Slowly, they're wounds began to fade away- as if they had never happened in the first place.

Finally, they sat up with a sputter.

"Aw man- where was I?" grumbled Sheen. "Oh! Aw, man! Did I miss Jimmy turning into a supervillain!?" he demanded.

Libby stared at him for a moment, and then wrapped her arms around him as tightly as she could. "Oh, hey Libby. What're you- Ack! Libby! Your kinda... strong..." he whined.

August stood himself up, and dusted himself off. Only to be tackled to the ground in an instant by his granddaughter. "Elder!" yelled April, as she squeezed him tighter than she had ever squeezed him before.

**"Well, everyone. It seems as though you're little friend Jimmy decided to give up his memory in order to breathe life back into you. Sweet, huh?" **asked Jimmy. **"Anywho, I just thought I'd let you know- listen up, Goddard. Jimmy isn't going to be fine after this. Letting me take over for this long will practically tear his mind to shreds. So good luck with that!"**

Jimmy walked over to the Lithium Atom, and picked it up. He smiled, as shattered the glass casing around it.

**"Neutron is truly lucky to have you people."** said Jimmy. **"If you people didn't exist... I would have never believed that he could handle the things that are about to happen to him. But with you around him- he is invincible."**

Jimmy held the atom in his hands, and turned to face August. **"Do you mind if I borrow this for a while?" **he asked.

August shook his head. "Take it. It has caused me nothing but heartache. Perhaps you may get some kind of use out of it."

Zyn-Thar groaned. "You... would let... such a thing... into the puny.. hands..."

Without batting an eye, Jimmy sent a flash of red lightning down from the sky- directly into Zyn-Thar. Jimmy grinned. **"If any of you are still awake- hear this. If you should seek Jimmy out- or, indeed, any of his friends. I will show you something... truly scary."**

The black smoke exploded. Sending a shockwave out that shook the entire planet. And just like that- it was all gone. And there Jimmy lay, in the middle of a crater of charred sand. With the Lithium Atom floating just over his chest.

Sheen, Carl, Libby, Cindy, Travoltron, Tee, Zix, April, August and Goddard all circled around the boy genius.

"So... now what?" asked Travoltron.

None of them knew how to answer that.

* * *

_To be continued..._

* * *

_(AN: I would be very curious to know how people feel about Betty Quinlin here, how he character is portrayed and so on. She may or may not be an important character in this thing... As well as Nick Dean. Evil Jimmy on the other hand... well- I'm sure you can guess as to whether or not he'll be back. The next chapter will be up very soon.)_


	14. Chapter 13

_Chapter Thirteen: Jimmy Neutron and the Facilitation of Stimuli_

The creature woke up with a start. It opened its eyes, and frowned. Something was... wrong. Its body began to tremble. It could feel its face going red. Suddenly, it opened its mouth and gasped for air.

Oh.

Apparently it needed to do that. It frowned again, and tried to move. It found its body really easy to move around- all it had to do was think it, and its body would respond. The creature smiled. This was intriguing.

It looked around. It was in... some kind of space. It didn't know exactly what it was... Actually, as it probed the inside of its mind for information- it seemed like it didn't know anything.

Its eyes began to sting, and it frowned again. What was this? Something was... hurting. It took a deep breath. Nope- that wasn't it. Something wet was beginning to stream down its face. Suddenly- it felt his eyelids shut. Everything went black for a moment. Then, they opened again. And the pain was gone.

It blinked a few more times. Oh- that was it. It nodded to himself.

'I understand'.

The creature raised its eyebrows. 'Wait... is that... me?' it thought to itself. 'It is! Hello, there! This is incredible!' The creature smiled to itself. Whatever it was that was happening- it seemed pretty neat.

Although the creature was not aware of it, it was lying in a hospital bed in a Gorlock hospital. The lovely soft thing that was draped over its body was called a blanket- which was apparently a thing that was developed among alien planets all across the universe. What the creature also didn't realise, and which would have been important to it if it were its regular self- was that it wasn't wearing any clothes. This was unusual for members of its species.

The creature crawled out of the bed, and walked over to the window- ignoring the wires that appeared to be connected to various parts of his head and body. As it stared out at the city below him, the door opened.

"Jimmy Neu- OH!" April exclaimed as she immediately covered her eyes with her hand. Her face flushed a deeper green. "I was not aware... I mean... I thought that you were in bed..." she muttered.

The creature blinked. Something had entered the same space that it existed in. He frowned as he tried to register this. The other thing was moving its mouth, and noises were coming out of it. They were somehow... familiar. 'Oh! Maybe... she's trying to do this... only at me?' he asked himself. 'I wonder if I can do that too...'

The creature opened its mouth. "Aaahh..." it moaned.

April frowned. "Jimmy Neutron... are you okay?" she asked, peeking at him through the spaces in her fingers. The creature looked confused. "Ji... me?" it asked. "Wh... ahh?"

April felt her heart sink. "Jimmy... Jimmy please lay back down..." she said. The creature blinked. "Jimmy... Jimmy?" it asked. Slowly, the creature raised a finger, and pointed at itself. "Jimmy?" he asked. April nodded.

"Jimmy!" he exclaimed. Jimmy smiled. 'I think thats right! That... is something I need! I need that...' he thought to himself. Jimmy pointed at her. "Ruuugh?" he grumbled. April bit her lip. "I... am called 'April'." she said.

"A, pee-ril?" asked Jimmy.

April nodded.

"Apee-rill!" he yelled excitedly. "Yes, Jimmy. That is my name. Now please- go back to bed." said April. Jimmy looked crestfallen. "Uh..." he mumbled, tapping at the window. "You... want to explore?" she asked. Jimmy nodded.

"Guh!"

"You... You may. In time. Just... go back to bed. I must speak with the doctor." said April. Jimmy let out a sigh, and nodded. "Uh... grah-bla, Apee-rill!" he said, as he leapt back to bed. He flashed her a smile, but stopped when he noticed something in her eyes. She looked... sad.

"I'll be back soon, Jimmy Neutron." said April.

* * *

It had been eight days since Jimmy had been admitted to the Gorlockian hospital of Kalendarium City. During that time, Carl and Sheen had been nothing short of miserable. Neither of them had really said anything after they had watched Jimmy being carried into the hospital. And they said even less when August had given them the worst news either of them had ever heard.

Jimmy might never wake up.

They had been waiting on planet Gorlock on the off chance that he might just wake up. But... it had been a while now. And neither of them had gotten much of any sleep- and if they were honest with themselves... they missed home. Sheen had grown accustomed to being away from his family for long periods of time, but Carl hadn't. And neither of them wanted to leave Jimmy alone on an alien planet.

They just couldn't do it. But, it was beginning to look like they had little to no choice anymore. It was either move in with August and April- or go back home. And as much as they liked Kalendarium City, they both much prefered Retroville.

And so, when Libby suggested leaving the city- they both protested, but they knew where she was coming from.

"Jimmy might never wake up... and I don't want to be here waiting for him for the rest of my life. He wouldn't want that either..." she said. "Just a little more..." muttered Carl. "Yeah- give us a few more days, Libby. Please." begged Sheen.

Libby sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry, guys. Cindy and I are going to have Goddard drive us back home in the space car in a few hours. I hope you'll join us." she said.

"Cindys going too?" asked Carl. Libby nodded. "Yeah... she wanted to leave earlier actually, but..." Libby glanced at Sheen, and closed her mouth. "Never mind. If Jimmy wakes up... I'm sure April will be able to contact us." said Libby.

"Well, yeah... but... I kinda... I wanted to _be_ here..." said Carl. "That old guy... he said that Jimmys brain might be hurt... and..." Carl frowned, as he couldn't find the right words to express himself. After a few seconds of awkward silence, he tried again. "I want to help him." he said.

Sheen nodded. "Yeah. Jimmy... he's our friend..." he muttered.

"Listen, guys. I'm not as close to Jimmy as you two are. You guys are probably the two closest people to Jimmys heart in the world- 'cept Goddard. I know it sucks. And... I don't really want to leave him here either. But August knows what he's doing... this is probably the best place in the universe for Jimmy... and our best place... is _not_ here. It's Earth." said Libby.

Reluctantly, Carl and Sheen agreed. It was time.

And so, Carl, Sheen, Libby, Cindy and Goddard found themselves in the middle of the city- looking for a good place to eat before the long ride home. As they walked, Carl and Sheen found it hard to speak. Usually they didn't have this problem- even in the face of the most grim or awkward of circumstances, they had alway had the ability to open their mouths and say _something_. Completely inappropriate or not.

But right now, they were standing around a smiling Cindy Vortex. And for the first time in their lives- they were left speechless.

"Come on, guys! Let's go try that place over there! It looks like it has _great_ food!" she exclaimed. Carl and Sheen both shuddered. "Girl, do you even know what that sign says?" asked Libby. Cindy nodded enthusiastically, and pulled out a small book. "Ya-huh! August gave me this awesome Gorlockian translating manual! Listen, that symbol means 'death', that one means 'despair', that one means 'doom' and that one means 'dessert'. See? Its a dessert place! Oh, I wonder if they have ice-cream..." she trailed off, with an excited smile.

Carl and Sheen glanced at each other. "Uh... Cindy? Why does it also say death, despair and doom?" asked Sheen. Cindy shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe to give the title a little extra _zest_!" she exclaimed. "Uh-huh. Or... maybe its some king of warning?" suggested Carl. Cindy rolled her eyes. "Oh- don't be such babies!" she said. "Come one, lets go! You're with me, right Libs?" she asked.

Libby nodded wearily. "Sure, girl. Whatever you want. How about you, Goddard?" she asked. Goddard whined, and looked at the ground for a little bit. Then, he faced Cindy. "Bark! Bark!" he barked. "Okay- cool. Goddard is in. Now come on, you two. Its three against two." said Libby.

"But, I- Uh... CURSE YOU DEMOCRACY!" yelled Sheen.

"Oh, it looks like there's an eating contest going on..." said Cindy, as she pointed to a small poster that was taped to the door of the Gorlockian restaurant. "I'm in!" announced Carl. With that, the group walked in and found a table. Sheen grumbled to himself as they sat down by the window. Carl, Sheen and Goddard were on one side of the table, and Cindy and Libby were on the other.

"Can I help you?"

Everybody at the table jumped, and turned to find that they had been approached by a snooty looking robot, with a pencil thin moustache. The robot help a pen and a piece of paper. "I repeat- may I take your order?" it asked.

Cindy shrugged. "Um, sure. We'll have whatever's good. Oh- and can you tell me where the eating contest is?" she asked. The robotic waiter nodded. "But of course, madam. Right over there, in the middle. Simply sign that waver, and you are free to join. The contest will begin in ten mini-cycles." it explained.

Cindy nodded, as the waiter scribbled something down and walked away. As he left, both Cindy and Carl began to shift out of there seats. "Where are you going, Cindy?" asked Libby. "Oh- I'm going to join the eating contest too. I'm feeling _hungry._" Cindy explained. Libby raised an eyebrow, and shrugged. "Whatever, girl. Just try not to make yourself sick." she said.

Cindy laughed. "Oh- don't worry. If I throw up I'll _lose_..." she spat out the word 'lose' like it was a dirty word, and then raced past Carl to the waver and scribbled down her name. Carl followed her, looking confused. As Carl took a seat next to her, a bunch of giant aliens began to take their seats around the massive table in the centre. Cindy waved at Libby from her seat, and flashed her a big smile.

"Hey, Libby? Can I ask you something about Cindy?" asked Sheen.

Libby waved back to Cindy, and then turned to face Sheen. "Sure."

"Oh, good. Hey, Libby?"

"Yes, Sheen?"

"What's up with Cindy?" he asked.

Libby sighed. "Well... listen- She's just... dealing with her own... stuff. The uh, the first day after we got the news about Jimmy... she was really quiet. And then the next thing I know- she started running around Augusts lab, fiddling with a bunch of gizmos and reading a bunch. Then- she invited me out to explore the city. I went with her, and... well- she was like how she is today. All... bright and positive. I know it's a show, or some kind of weird reaction... but... I don't know. For the first time I can remember... I can't say I really know what she'd thinking..." said Libby.

Sheen frowned. "Oh. Bummer." he said.

Libby nodded, as she watched a group of robots begin to put mountains upon mountains of food in front of the contestants. Cindy rubbed her hands together, looking excited. Carl wiggled his fingers in the air- as he tried to decide what he was going to try first.

Suddenly, the robot waiter approached Libby and Sheens table- making them jump once again. The waiter laid down a giant plate in front of them. "This is the best thing in the house. Enjoy." said the robot, as he left.

Libby blinked. There, sitting on a plate in front of her- was what looked like the giant severed head of a Triceratops. It seemed to be shaded with a few different colors, and its horns were bright purple- but it still looked like a Triceratops. Sheen poked it.

"RAAAURGH!" it bellowed.

Sheen and Libby glanced at each other.

"You wanna-"

"No."

And so, as Carl and Cindy began to gorge themselves, Sheen was left chewing on a horn as he stared at Libbys disgusted face. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

April didn't know what to do. There was small part of her that was telling her to calm down, and enjoy her alone time with Jimmy Neutron. But, she knew that she couldn't do that. Not as long as Jimmy was so... broken. She bit her lip.

August had suggested she take him out to see the park. He had barely moved for almost a week, so it couldn't hurt for him to do a little running around. Naturally, Jimmy was ecstatic with this idea- and managed to communicate that with a series of excited groans. August had also asked her to try and help him begin to learn to speak again.

April sighed. She and Jimmy were standing in the middle of the Kalendarium City Park. There was a wide range of tall trees, and bright green grass that glowed red whenever there was a living creature nearby. This meant that big patches of the grass were green, and many more were a bright red. In the middle of it all was the Ooze Fountain, which Jimmy seemed to be particularly entranced by. April sat down on a park bench, and watched as Jimmy ran around excitedly- observing the world around him.

He looked happy.

He was dressed in the same clothes that he always wore. Blue pants, white shoes, and a red shit with a yellow symbol on it. He looked just like how she remembered. It had been some time since they had parted ways after the Galactic Showdown incident. And they hadn't really spoken face to face since then. As she watched him play around with the fountain, and poking the grass and watching it change color, she felt something flutter in her chest.

She grimaced. She needed to squash that down right away. Not only was he a human- but he wasn't even really himself at the moment. She bit her lip and frowned. This wasn't the time or place to start letting any romantic feelings get in the way.

April was the only child of her parents, and she and her grandfather were the only members of her family still alive. And she was coming of age. There were dozens of suitors, naturally. Her family was held with high esteem among the Gorlockian leaders, and it would be considered quite an honour to become a part of it in some way, shape or form.

April sighed. The only creature in the world that she might even consider... She frowned. "Jimmy..." she muttered to herself. "Yes, Apee-rill?" asked Jimmy. April jumped in her seat, as she found Jimmy standing over her with a concerned frown. "Ah... kay, Apee-rill?" he asked. April smiled at him.

"I am okay, Jimmy Neutron." she said. "Now- how would you like to get to work on learning english?" she asked. Jimmy didn't look convinced, but he decided to let it go. He nodded.

"Very good. Can you say, 'Hello'?" she asked.

"Uh... He-llo!" said Jimmy. April smiled. "Very good. Now, let us attempt a sentence. Can you say, 'Hello, my name is Jimmy Neutron.'" she asked. Jimmy thought about this for a little while, and finally nodded.

"He-llo!, I name is Ji-mmy, New-tro." he said. He frowned. "Oh... Neu...tron. Neutron!" he announced. He flashed April an excited smile, which April couldn't help but return. "Very good, Jimmy." she said.

Time sped by very quickly, as they sat on the park bench. Jimmy seemed to be getting a grip on speaking very quickly, which was to be expected. April smiled. This boy never failed to amaze her...

"Hmm!? Oh! It's Jimmy. Hey, fools! Look on over here!"

April blinked, and looked up. It was one of the purple alien friends of Jimmys. She had met them briefly, and had spoken to them every now and again during Jimmys time in the hospital. She frowned as she tried to remember his name. Luckily for her, he was wearing a necklace with the letter 'T' hanging over his chest.

"Tee." she greeted. "How are you?"

"Never mind me, fool! When did Jimmy wake up?" he asked. Jimmy looked confused. April cleared her throat. "He woke up early this morning. Unfortunately, however- he appears to have lost his memory. And not just memories of his childhood- but the ability to speak." she explained.

Tee frowned. "Aw. That sounds sad. Real sad. Makes me wanna weep openly. You okay, Jimmy?" he asked. Jimmy nodded. "I am okay..." he said. "But... I am..." he frowned. He couldn't seem to find the right word. So he pointed at his hand.

"How come our skin is different?" he asked. "I have been curious... Because Apee-rill had that color, and I have this one... and you have that one..." said Jimmy, pointing at Tee. Tee shrugged. "Because you're human, fool!" he announced.

April nodded. "Yes, that's right. You and I... we are not of the same species..." she said.

Jimmy frowned again. "Species? So... I'm a... monster?" he asked. "No- fool. You're from another planet. One filled with humans. Lot's of 'em." said Tee. "Oh... another... planet..." he frowned again. "Does that mean that I don't belong here? This isn't home?" he asked.

"Yes... you were only visiting here before you lost your memory." said April.

"Oh... I understand. Perhaps in order to properly recover my memory I should make haste toward my home planet in order to observe whether familiar surroundings will result in some kind of stimuli to my thought process, therefore facilitating the retrieval of my memory." said Jimmy.

April gave him a sad smile. He had only been studying english for a little over an hour- and he already seemed to have gotten a complete grasp of it. Yet again, Jimmy had impressed her.

"Hey! Why is it taking so long for you fools to get on over here!?" demanded Tee. Off in the distance, Zix and Travoltron had started to make their way over to where Jimmy and April were sitting. Travoltron was holding a balloon and a massive skewer with all manner of odd looking things on it.

"Sorry, Tee. We were just like- checking out the vendor, I swear." said Travoltron. "Yes, and Travoltron just _had_ to get into a fight with another three-headed clown." said Zix.

"Hey- Like, he was askin' for it, you know?"

"Hush your mouth, fool! Look- Jimmys okay." said Tee, pointing at Jimmy. "He lost his memory, fools. You guys should try to help him.

Zix and Travoltron glanced at each other. "How could _we_ help?" asked Zix. "Yeah. Like, we could tell him about how you wanted to eat him once- but that won't be very helpful, y'know?" said Travoltron. "Hey- There ain't no need to mention that, fool!" yelled Tee.

"You wanted to _eat_ him?" asked April. Tee huffed. "Yeah, well- maybe just one of 'em. But not no more. I love Jimmy. Love 'im bad." he explained. "Yeah, we entered an agreement of sorts. He helps us out- and we'll do the same. Speaking of which, Neutron. I couldn't help but overhear those friends of your's saying that they were planning on returning to Earth soon." said Zix.

April stood up. "Really? Why didn't they notify me?" she asked. Zix shrugged. "I dunno- I guess since you weren't around. If I remember correctly, they got that fancy little car of theirs parked over near the Unnatural History Museum." he said. April bit her lip. What were they doing? Were they planning on just abandoning him?

She growled.

"Do you have something we can use to get over there? Something fast?" asked April.

Zix shrugged. "Yeah, I mean... I've got a rental car- but if you want to use it you're gonna have to owe me one." he said with a menacing grin. April bared her teeth. "_Fine._" she spat. Zix grinned. "Oh- that's good to hear. Come on then- follow me. I'll give you a ride." he said. April snorted. "I shall drive." she said.

"Do you even _know_ how to drive?" asked Zix. "Of course. I am a better driver than the likes of _you_ anyway." said April. "Alright then. Why don't we make a little wager then?" asked Zix.

April raised an eyebrow. "Fine... if I can get Jimmy there in under thirty seconds... you owe me a fresh Higglebarn carcass. And if you win... I will pledge loyalty to you and your little friends." she said. Zix smiled. "You got yourself a deal."

Travoltron, Tee and Jimmy shared a nervous look. Somehow- they didn't have a good feeling about this.

* * *

Goddard was not going to go with Jimmys friends back to Earth. He was going to stay right there. With Jimmy. Cindy had been expecting that, and so she didn't waste any energy trying to convince him otherwise. Instead, she just asked him to help pack the numerous souvenirs that she had purchased during her time in the city.

Goddard complied, although not happily. He didn't like that she was leaving. And more than that- he didn't like that she seemed to have taken it upon herself to convince Libby, Sheen and Carl to join her. He knew deep down that they had to go back home eventually. They couldn't stay here forever. Still, it made him sad. What was worse, was picturing what kind of face Jimmy might make if he saw how she had been acting in the face of his potentially eternal coma.

She was trying so hard to be happy. And although Goddard had tried, through a series of barks and yelps, to tell her that she didn't need to pretend in front of him or Libby- or even Carl and Sheen for that matter. They would understand if she was sad... It wasn't like she was making anything easier by pretending that everything was okay. It just made things more... awkward.

As Carl and Sheen silently made their way into the car, followed by Libby, Cindy took a deep breath. "Okay- is everybody ready?" she announced. Nobody spoke, as Goddard sat outside of the car and gave a low whine.

"Goodbye... Goddard..." muttered Carl. "Y-Yeah... You be a good boy- okay? Don't talk to strangers... and tell us if... if Jimmy..." Sheen trailed off.

This was it. Carl and Sheen felt their insides begin to knot. This was goodbye.

Libby sat next to Cindy in the passengers seat. "So... are we set?" she asked. Cindy nodded. "Yep. Goddard programmed the car to take us all the way back home. We'll have nothing to worry about." she explained. Libby nodded, and turned to face Carl and Sheen.

"I..." her voice got caught in her throat. She didn't know what to say to them. They were about to leave their friend on an alien planet- possibly forever. She bit her lip.

She didn't want to go either. She wanted to stay there until Jimmy woke up- no matter how long it took. But she had to think about her parents. And more than that- she couldn't go against Cindy on this. Libby was lucky that she had managed to get Cindy to stay there this long. Cindy had wanted to leave almost immediately after finding out that Jimmy might not ever wake up.

Libby took a deep breath, and hoped- that no matter what, somehow... everything would work out.

"Alright... let's... go..." she muttered. Cindy nodded, and pressed a small red button next to the steering wheel. "Ignition engaged. Preparing for hyperspeed to destination; Earth."

"BARK! BARK!"

Everybody in the car jumped at the sound of Goddard barking outside. Cindy turned to face the windshield, just in time to see a massive fiery explosion. Something was shot into the air- and landed with a massive 'smack!' on the windshield.

Cindy blinked.

The person who was currently pressed against the windshield blinked back.

"J-... Jimmy?" muttered Carl.

Jimmy slowly removed himself from the windshield, and gave the passengers of the car a small wave before slipping off the hood. Cindy pressed the red button again. "Ignition cancelled."

Carl and Sheen opened the doors and ran out, practically tripping over each other as they did.

There he was. Covered in soot, carefully putting out the small fire that had started on the tip of his hair. "JI-MMY!" they yelled. Within an instant, they had both picked him up- and were squeezing them with every bit of strength they had. "He-llo... I am... Ji-mmy..." Jimmy squealed, as Carl and Sheen squeezed him harder than he had ever been squeezed before.

In the distance, April, Zix, Travoltron and Tee started to approach the space car- all of them looking equally sooty and charred. "I can't believe you managed to crash into a truck filled with explosives!" yelled Zix. "Quiet! My driving instructor said that my skills are quiet terrific!" said April.

"Like- are you sure that he didn't mean _terrible? _I swear..." said Travoltron. April opened her mouth angrily, and then closed it. "Wait... maybe that _was_ the word he used..." she trailed off. "Nevermind that, fool! Look- Jimmy's with all 'is friends! I wanna group hug too, Jimmy's friends!" yelled Tee as he ran over towards them. April smiled triumphantly.

"Ha! Look at that. I got Jimmy there in less than thirty seconds! You owe _me_ a Higglebarn carcass!" she yelled. Zix scoffed. "You blew us up!" he yelled. April snorted. "Minor details. I expect payment by dinner time tomorrow." she said.

Zix growled. "Why, you..."

While April argued about the quote unquote 'minor details' of their wager, Tee and Travoltron made their way over to Jimmy.

Carl and Sheen had stopped hugging Jimmy by the time they had arrived. Tee huffed. "I am not aware of the greeting ritual for members of your species..." said Jimmy. "But, I guess I'll play along." he said. Jimmy wrapped his arms around Carl and Sheen, and Tee happily wrapped his big arms around all three of them. After a painful squeezing, Jimmy and Tee finally let go.

"Greetings! I, am Jimmy Neutron." said Jimmy, pointing to himself. "And you are?" he asked.

Carl and Sheen glanced at each other. "Wh-what do you mean, Jimmy? We're Carl and Sheen! You're loveable sidekicks!" said Carl. "Yeah! If you're mad about us leaving... it was all Libbys idea!" yelled Sheen.

"Hey!" yelled Libby from behind them. The group turned to face her. Libby was halfway out the door of the space car- and she appeared to be struggling with something. "Come _on,_ get your but out here!" she yelled.

"Never!" came Cindys voice from inside the car. Finally, after playing tug of war with her best friends arm for a few good minutes- Cindys grip on the seat slipped, and the girls were sent flying into the air before landing on the hard ground in a heap. Before Cindy got the chance to run and hide, Jimmy had already knelt down and offered her his hand.

"Do you need some help?" he asked.

Cindy snarled and slapped away his extended hand. "Oh- go jump off a bridge Nerdtron!" she hissed. Jimmy frowned. "No, no- It isn't _Nerd_-tron..." he wavered, and turned to face April. "Is it?" he asked. April shook her head. "There, see? Oh! Wait... excuse me- you must be upset because I haven't given you the proper greeting yet..." said Jimmy. With that, he quickly wrapped both of his arms around Cindy.

Cindy felt her heart jump into her throat. She was rendered completely immobile for almost ten seconds, before she finally snapped out of it. "Urgh- don't _touch_ me, jerk... brain!" she hissed. She pushed him away from her, sending him crashing into the ground. Her face was glowing red, and she did her best to hide that from the others- naturally, it didn't work.

Jimmy stood himself up. 'What was that all about? Stupid angry girl...' he thought to himself. Jimmy noticed Libby pick herself up, and, since he didn't know any better- he quickly walked over to her and gave her the biggest hug he could muster.

Libby, naturally- looked flabbergasted. Then after a few awkward seconds, she wrapped her arms around him. She brought her face to his ear, and whispered something.

"Thanks..."

Jimmy blinked. "For what?" he whispered back.

Libby moved her face directly in front of his. "You..." she muttered. "You don't remember, do you?"

"Remember what?"

Libby frowned. She opened her mouth to say something else, only to be interrupted when Sheen pushed his face in between theirs. "Hey. You guys whispering about stuff?" he asked. Jimmy and Libby let go of each other. Sheen gave them a curious look. "Oh- Miss, um... she was just thanking me for something..." explained Jimmy. "What were you thanking me for, again?" he asked.

Libby pouted, and avoided eye contact. "I was just... thanking him- for saving the life of somebody I... kinda care about..." she muttered.

Sheen brightened in an instant. "Oh, yeah! Somebody told me that you managed to bring me back to life or something- thanks, Jimmy!" he exclaimed. Jimmy raised an eyebrow. "Brought you back to..." he muttered. He shook his head. "If you'll excuse me- I introduced _my_self... and who might you be?" he asked.

The group fell silent, and April decided to step in.

"They're your best friends, Jimmy." she said.

"Oh, really? That's very nice to hear. So, guys. April hasn't been able to tell me much about whatever incident it was that caused this- but it appears that something has caused me to forget... everything." explained Jimmy. "Anyway- I thought I'd go back homme with you guys and see if being on my species' home planet will help jog my memory."

"You lost your memory!? So you forgot about the eating contest, and how Cindy threw up all over the other aliens?" asked Carl. "He wasn't with us then!" growled Cindy. "Oh, yeah... Hey, Jimmy- You'll never guess what happened. Cindy and I entered this eating contest, and-" Carl was cut off by a hushed threat from Cindy.

"Oh... I'm sorry about hitting your... um... big... thing... April crashed into a giant, uh... thing- and it..." Jimmy frowned. "I'm sorry, April, do you still have that english text book?" he asked. April handed him the book, and Jimmy flipped through a number of pages.

"Oh, here's the right word! 'Exploded'. It exploded." he said.

Cindy rolled her eyes. "We could _see _that, Nerdtron!"

"So- If everybody's all packed, I don't think I need anything else..." said Jimmy. "Hold on, buster. Who said you were allowed to come?" Cindy demanded. Jimmy blinked. "Oh... Am I not allowed?" he asked.

"Cindy!" yelled Sheen.

"_What_, Ultra-dork!?" growled Cindy.

"We are not leaving here without Jimmy!" yelled Carl. "Yeah! What's the matter with you!? He's awake!" yelled Sheen. Cindy huffed. "I don't _care_." she hissed. Cindy crossed her arms over her chest. "Neutrons not coming with us. He can stay here." she said.

Libby grit her teeth. "Listen to me, _girl._" she growled. "I've gone along with you every step of the way for the whole week. I even asked Sheen and Carl to leave their friend in a _coma_- because_ you _asked me too. But this is where it ends. You either let Jimmy come along with us back home, or..." Libby frowned. "We stay here with Jimmy, and you go off by yourself. I'm sure April would be happy to give us a ride."

"That's not a good idea.."

Zix's remark went ignored by the group. Everybody stared at Cindy. She squirmed under their gaze. "Fine... whatever..." she finally growled. With that, she climbed into the car, and shut the door behind her with a slam.

The group went silent again, and this time- it was Goddard who broke the tension.

"Bark! Bark!" he barked. Goddard tugged at his Jimmys pants, and looked up at him. Jimmy smiled. "Oh, hello there. What's your name?" he asked. Goddard barked again. "Goddard? That's a nice name..." said Jimmy as he gave Goddard a scratched behind the ear. Goddards leg twitched happily. "Bark! Bark!" he barked.

"Ah... Goddard? Do you still have it?" asked April.

Goddard nodded, and opened up his back to reveal the Lithium Atom, floating in a small glass case. April smiled. "Good." she said, as she carefully picked it up, and faced Jimmy. "Jimmy Neutron... I trust you. As does my elder. As a symbol of that trust... we wish for you to hold onto this. It is known as the 'Lithium Atom'. My ancestors have studies it for thousands of cycles, and never found anything. We do not know if it is dangerous, or if it is inert. All we know for sure- is that somewhere inside of it... is a great power. Please keep it safe." said April.

April handed him Jimmy the case, and then glanced at the car. She thought for a moment, and then shook her head. She bowed. "You have my trust, and my gratitude." she said.

Jimmy stared at the case in his hands. "Wow... thank you, April. Thank you for everything you have done for me. I will be certain to make contact with you in the future." he said. With that, Jimmy bowed.

"Alright- We're rollin' out! Goodbye, alien guys!" yelled Sheen. Carl nodded. "Uh-huh! Goodbye! It was fun except for the kidnapping and Sheen and Jimmy getting hurt!" he yelled.

Carl and Sheen helped Jimmy and Goddard into the car, as Libby stopped in front of April.

"Hey... Thanks for not doin' the whole... uh... seal of trust thing." said Libby. April smiled wearily. "The last thing I want to do is provide any... unpleasantness for Jimmy Neutron." she said. Libby nodded, and went into the car.

Slowly, the car began to whir into action. Zix, Travoltron, Tee and April all waved goodbye.

"So long, shrimp! See you around!" yelled Zix.

"Yeah- we'll drop by sometime, I swear!" yelled Travoltron.

"I'll be back around to hang out, fools! If you're not ready- I pity you! Pity you bad!" yelled Tee.

"Be safe..." muttered April.

The car took off into the sky, and disappeared.

April sighed. She was about to make her way home and talk to her grandfather, when Zix stopped her. "Hold on there, sweetcheeks. We've still got the little matter of the _wager_." he said. April growled. "That's right. You get me a Higglebarn by tomorrow night." she said.

"No way, kid. Neutron reached his destination by kinetic energy- _not_ from your driving skills- or lack there of." said Zix. "I am not a _kid_ and Jimmy Neutron reached his destination completely due to my driving skills! He just... wasn't in the car when w arrived!" yelled April.

"Ha! _Exactly_! He wasn't in the car anymore- therefore, you lose!" said Zix.

As Zix and April argued, Tee turned to Travoltron. "So, what do you wanna do now?" asked Tee. Travoltron shrugged. "I dunno... lets go somewhere to eat. My cousin told me about this great Viskar place, I swear." he said. Tee nodded.

And so, as Tee and Travoltron left to find the 'Viskar' place that Travoltrons 'cousin' had recommended, April and Zix argued well into the night.

* * *

Evil Jimmy was sitting on a park bench in Retroville park, when he noticed Betty Quinlin approaching from a distance. He growled. "What're you doing here?" he demanded. Betty rolled her eyes. "I walk through here to get home every day. What are _you_ doing here?" she asked. "Shouldn't you be out throwing pies at people or something?

Evil Jimmy considered this for a moment. "Hey, now. That's a good idea... I'll do that. You got anybody in mind?" he asked. Betty frowned. "No. Now if you'll excuse me..." she muttered. Evil Jimmy stepped in front of her.

"Are you sure there's _nobody? _What about that big bully, Biff? You know he's been trying to crack ol' egghead because he thinks you like him." he said.

"He's been bullying Jimmy?"

"You got it, doc. He's a real piece of work, too- let me tell you." said Evil Jimmy. "Little ol' Jimmy is lucky he hasn't been beaten to _death_ yet. Although I know for a fact that he's gotten _close._"

Betty bristled. She could feel the fire of rage burning intensely inside of her. "Thats why he always looks so tired and..." she trailed off, and looked at Evil Jimmy. "Do whatever you like." she hissed. Evil Jimmy smiled. "Ooh, your even prettier when your angry, dollface." he said.

Betty glared at him. "I'm going home. Get out of my way." she growled.

Evil Jimmy smiled, and stepped to the side. "See you tomorrow." he said. She brushed past, and disappeared into the night. He watched her go, and then sat back down on the park bench.

He chuckled to himself, and sighed. "What am I doing..." he grumbled.

* * *

_To be continued..._

* * *

(AN: I want to thank everybody who has read this story and been kind enough to leave a review. Thank you. It really helps keep up the old motivation. Until next time!)


	15. Chapter 14

_Chapter Fourteen: Jimmy Neutron and the First Day Back_

"3..."

"2..."

"1..."

"We have ignition..."

Jimmy slowly opened his eyes. The ceiling was decorated with a vast and intricate map of the stars and planets. He smiled. 'This is my room...' he thought to himself. 'It does appeal to me... although...' he frowned at the ceiling. 'I wonder if I decorated this myself... or perhaps... did my parental units do it for me?' he wondered.

The alarm clock was still making noise. He studied it for an 'off' button- but he couldn't find one. He frowned. The alarm clock was shaped like a rocket- although he didn't know that. As far as he knew- this was how all 'alarm clocks' worked. "Goddard? Are you here?" Jimmy called out. All of a sudden, Jimmy felt a heavy robot dog leap onto his chest. Goddard gave his master a few licks on the face, and a happy 'bark!' in greeting. Jimmy smiled, and gently moved the dog from his chest before he crushed it.

"Good morning, Goddard. Um- do you know how to turn this thing off?" he asked. Goddard nodded, and faced the alarm clock. A pair of red lasers shot out of his eyes- incinerating the clock instantly. Goddard faced Jimmy again with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. He looked... happy.

"Bark! Bark!" he barked. Jimmy looked at the charred remains of the alarm clock, and then back at Goddard. "That might have been a _little_ too much fire power- but thank you Goddard." he said. Jimmy noticed something sitting next to the charred remains of his alarm clock. It was a picture. A picture of a really pretty girl. He frowned. There was writing in the corner of the photograph- but he couldn't read it. Giving up with a sigh, Jimmy slowly made his way out of bed. Goddard had insisted that he wear a uniform known as 'pajamas' when he slept. Jimmy had been a little nervous about that- but the pajamas were actually fairly comfortable.

Jimmy scanned his room with a curious stare. It had been late in the evening when he arrived back home- and he had been too tired to say anything to his parents before Goddard led him up to his room. "Goddard? Could you tell me what I usually do in the morning?" asked Jimmy.

"Bark! Bark!"

"The bathroom?"

"Bark!"

"What is a... shower?"

"Bark! Bark!"

"Oh- I see. So as to maintain personal hygiene, hm? I believe you told me about that when we reviewed 'health'- correct?" asked Jimmy. Goddard nodded. The main reason that Jimmy had been so tired the night before- was because he had spent the entire car ride absorbing as much information from Goddard as he could. When they finally landed- Carl and Sheen practically rolled over each other to try and escape- and Libby said that she had gotten a headache. And Cindy... didn't say anything.

Jimmy stepped into the bathroom, and asked Goddard to show him what the shower actually _was_. After a little bit of fidgeting to get out of his clothes, Goddard showed him how to operate the shower handle. Jimmy was grateful for this- after watching Goddard turn on the 'hot' water. Steam filled the bathroom almost instantaneously. Goddard opened his back, and extended a robotic hand into the stream of water, and slowly adjusted it to an appropriate temperature.

After standing underneath the water for a few minutes, Jimmy felt a wave of relaxation flow through his entire body. No wonder members of his species did this on a regular basis. It was so... soothing. Jimmy sighed, and took the soap that Goddard had handed him from the other side of the shower curtain. After spending almost ten minutes in the shower, Goddard told him that it was time to get out.

Jimmy turned off the shower, and slid the shower curtain back. Goddard handed him a towel. "Thank you Goddard. I use this to rid the surface of my body of excess liquid?" he asked. Goddard nodded. Jimmy dried himself, and then stepped over to the bathroom sink. He looked at the mirror just above it. He frowned, and wiped away some of the mist with his hand.

"My... reflection..." he muttered.

This was the first time he had ever seen his own face before. Or at least- as far as he knew. His hair was frizzy from the towling it had received a few seconds earlier. His features appeared soft. More child like than he had imagined. His eyes were blue- and they stared back at him with the same curiosity he had.

"Huh..." he muttered to himself. "Okay- next is clothes, right?" he asked. Goddard shook his head. "Bark!" he barked, as he used his robotic hand to press a button near the mirror. In a bizarre blur of motion- a device quickly lowered onto Jimmys head- and then went back into the ceiling.

Jimmy blinked. His hair had been slicked back, with a few stray hairs poking out on top. "Oh... it helps style my hair?" he asked. Goddard nodded, and pressed the button again. The device lowered and whirred into motion once again.

This time when it went back into the ceiling, Jimmy was left with a tuft of hair sticking out over his forehead. The end of it was curved up, into two sharp points. Jimmy frowned, and this time- pressed the button by the mirror himself. Finally, after the device lowered for the third time and did its job properly- Jimmy was left with his signature 'whippy-dip' hairstyle.

"Bark! Bark!"

Jimmy nodded. "Oh... okay. Now, clothes?" he asked. Goddard nodded.

* * *

Jimmy walked down the stairs, dressed in his usual attire. Goddard followed close behind. Jimmy made his way to the kitchen, where he saw his parents. Hugh was sitting at the table, eating a bowl of cereal- while his mother appeared to be making waffles. "Oh, good morning Jimmy! Breakfast is almost ready!" she said with a smile.

Jimmy smiled. He didn't know these people- but he could already feel a kind of warmth emanating from them. He felt his body relax. "Good morning to you too. How are you?" he asked. Judy smiled. "Oh, well- I'm fine, Jimmy. Are you okay? You seemed very tired last night." she said.

"Oh, well... Yes. I feel good. Refreshed. Um- D-dad? Do you mind if I sit next to you?" asked Jimmy.

Hugh smiled. "Well, of course Jim-jam. Hop a seat next to your old man." he said. "Let me tell you something, Jimbo. It's a new day! A fresh start. Now- listen. I know you've been fighting with that cute little Cindy Vortex from across the street. Now, Jimmy... I know you two have always been that way but..." Hugh frowned, and though to himself for a bit. "Well, I guess its like pie. You've got the filling, and the crust- and sometimes, the whipped cream. Well you need all those things to make a good pie, Jimbo. And you can't make a good pie when all of the ingredients keep arguing all day. You understand?" he asked.

Jimmy frowned. "I... suppose. You wish for me to reconcile my perceived differences with Cindy- right?" he asked.

Hugh thought about this for a moment, and then nodded. "That's right, Jimmy. I'm glad we had this little chat..." he said.

"Hey, Goddard... Did I do something to stop them from noticing my disappearance during my time on planet Gorlock?" he whispered to Gorlock. Goddard shrugged.

Jimmy frowned again, and ate his breakfast as he continued to ponder this. Suddenly Judy noticed the time. "Oh! Jimmy! The bus to school will be here soon!" she exclaimed. Jimmy nodded, and made his way out of the table. "Thank you very much, uh- Mom. I really appreciate it. I'll see you after school!" he called out, as left through the front door.

"Uh- yes. See you later, sweetie!" her voice followed him outside.

Jimmy walked over to the sidewalk, and noticed Cindy doing the same thing just across the street. He waved at her, but she rolled her eyes and walked away. Jimmy frowned. She sure was a difficult one... He looked over at Goddard. "Can you take me to school? I'm sure it'll be faster than getting there via that, 'bus' thing." he said. Goddard nodded, and began to change shape.

'Fly Cycle Mode; Activated.'

"Wow... cool!" said Jimmy, as he slowly made his way onto the seat. "Is this right?" he asked.

"Bark! Bark!"

"Great! Goddard- catch up with Cindy, please!" said Jimmy. Goddard nodded, and flew his master over towards the angry young blonde girl. "Cindy?" asked Jimmy. Cindy paused in her tracks, and turned to face him with an angry look on her face. "What is it, Nerdtron?" she growled.

"Well... I was just wondering... If you wanted a ride to school." said Jimmy. He felt awkward for some reason. He could feel his palms beginning to sweat, and his heart rate slowly increase.

Cindy scoffed. "Do you have a screw loose or something, Nerdtron?" she demanded. "Well- if you're referring to my current lack of memory... then yes." said Jimmy. Cindy looked a little taken aback- but she shook it off. "I wouldn't ride with you if you were the last boy on _Earth_." she hissed.

"Even at the risk of your own life?" he asked. "Because if such a situation were to arise..."

"Yes. Even if everybody got taken away by the Yolkians again, or they got sucked into you're wormhole generator... Now leave me _alone_." she growled.

Jimmy sighed. "Very, well. Goodbye, Cindy." he said. With that- he and his mechanical canine sped into the air.

Cindy took a deep breath. "Big... idiot..." she grumbled. Even she didn't know if she was referring to Jimmy, or herself.

* * *

Jimmy and Goddard arrived at school in record time. After he climbed off of Goddard, he formed himself back to his regular loveable form, and gave a happy bark. They stood at the entrance for a while, watching as the other students began to group together by the entrance. After a while, Jimmy noticed a pair of familiar faces amongst the crowd.

"Carl! Sheen! Hey, guys!" he yelled over the loud chattering of the other students. Sheen and Carl noticed him immediately, and returned Jimmys warm smile. "Hey, Jimmy!" they called out in unison. "How was you're night, Jimmy? You still don't remember anything?" asked Carl. Jimmy nodded.

"That's a bummer, dude. I remember the time I hit my head real hard and forgot about Ultralord..." Sheen shuddered at the thought. "That was a _dark_ time..." he muttered. Carl gave his friend a light pat on the back to comfort him, and then turned his attention back to Jimmy.

"My folks were real mad about us disappearing like that..." he said. "How were yours?"

"Oh? I was under the impression that I had done something to trick our parental guardians into believing that we had been there the entire time..." said Jimmy. Carl shook his head. "Nuh-uh. I blamed Sheen, though- so everything should be fine." he said. "Well that's good- my Dad... Hey! Why'd you blame me!?" demanded Sheen.

Carl shrugged. "I dunno. 'Cuz you're a troublemaker?" he suggested. Sheen shook his fist angrily at him. "I'll show _you_ trouble..." he grumbled. "See!?" yelled Carl.

As he watched his friends begin to argue, Jimmy felt another wave of warmth over his body. The same one he had felt from his parents a little earlier. "I... I like you guys." said Jimmy. Carl and Sheen stopped arguing, and gave Jimmy an odd look.

"Huh?"

"W-well... I was just thinking that... although I have no memory of you guys... I like you." said Jimmy. "Aw... thanks, Jim." said Carl. "Yeah- that's... nice." said Sheen.

"Bark! Bark!"

The trio was interrupted from their awkward moment, by Goddard. "What is it, boy?" asked Jimmy. Goddard pointed his nose at the door. Suddenly, they heard a loud 'click' and the doors swung open. One of the teachers was standing there, with her hands on her hips. "Alright, you little monsters. Get inside!" she growled.

The students poured into the school, the vast majority immediately going over to their lockers, while the rest simply stood around in the hallway, chatting. Goddard led Jimmy, Carl and Sheen all the way to the other side of the building- to where their lockers were. They were all bunched up next to each other, thanks to some creative locker replacement by Jimmy at the start of the year. Unfortunately- he had also made two extra changes, before he and Cindy had stopped talking.

So when Jimmy, Carl and Sheen finally reached their lockers- they were met by none other than Cindy and Libby. As soon as she saw then, Cindy slammed her locker closed and walked away. Libby ignored her. "Hey, guys. How are you goin'? she asked. Sheen shrugged. "I'm alright. I had this weird dream where I was telling jokes in front of a giant crowd- and then I realised that I was naked. It was cool!" said Sheen.

Libby stared at him for a minute. "Uh... I mean- Jimmy. How are you, Jimmy?" she asked. "Well, I have yet to do any research into what I might be able to do to return my memory. But I'm sure that I'll work it out, eventually." said Jimmy. Libby nodded. "That's good to hear." she said.

"Oh! Do you wanna know what happened to _me_ last night?" asked Carl. Libby shrugged. "Sure. Fire away, Carl." she said. "Well, I was hugging Llama-Sweetums, and I realised that the little pink heart on her stomach was starting to fade. So I got my sewing kit out, and-..."

Carl continued his story of hardship and finger pain, as they made their way into the classroom. Finally, the bell rang- and the teacher sat up from her desk.

It was time to learn. Goddard sat next to Jimmy throughout the entire class, occasionally explaining things to him that he didn't understand. The teacher ignored him. If there was one thing she had learned over the short amount of time she had been teaching the famous 'boy genius', it was to always ignore him. Because if you didn't... then you were just asking for trouble.

* * *

Class had been going well for Betty Quinlin that day. There had been a surprise pop quiz, and- she was proud to say- she had managed to answer every single question correctly. She hadn't been forced to deal with any rumours, talkative girls or creepy guys... Yep. It was looking like for the first time in quite a while- she might get away with having a decent day for once.

And then, there was a knock on the classroom door. The teacher got up, and answered it. And Bettys heart sank. Because there, talking to the teacher by the doorway, was Evil Jimmy.

He wasn't wearing his disguise, either. No- his hair was slicked back into the shape of two sharp horns, and his it was dark black. No doubt to match the color of his heart. His eye's were back to the piercing red eyes he had when she first met him, and his skin was as pale as ever. He smiled when he noticed her stare, and sent her a sly wink.

Immediately, everybody in class began to whisper amongst themselves.

"Miss Quinlin?" asked the teacher.

"Y-yeah..." she muttered. "You are excused." said the teacher. Betty blinked. "Wha-... Excuse me?" she asked. Evil Jimmy grinned. "You heard the man, dollface. Get your stuff together- and hurry up will ya? I don't have all day." said Evil Jimmy. Betty growled as she stood herself up, collected her things and walked over to the door.

She pushed past him in a huff. Evil Jimmy turned to face the class and flashed them a smile. "Hey- see you never, _losers_." he said. With that, he followed Betty out into the hallway- slamming the door shut behind him.

"What is it!?" Betty yelled.

Evil Jimmy put his hands up as if to feign innocence. "Hey, now. A guy can't get you a day off without having some kinda... _ulterior motive?_" he asked innocently. Betty grit her teeth. "Just tell me what you want. Are you tired of harassing me every night in the park? Now you have to bother me at school, too?" she growled.

Evil Jimmy shrugged. "Well, maybe. I gotta admit- it is fun to watch you're pretty little face _squirm_, doc." he said, his face twisting into an all together more sadistic grin. "But, unfortunately... _That's_ not why I'm here." he said.

The entire school began to shake. Evil Jimmy groaned. "Aw, _puking plutonium_- he's here already..." he grumbled to himself. "Alright, Quinlin- I'm going to have to... er..." he frowned. "Just... don't scream in my face- will ya?"

Evil Jimmy wrapped his arm around Bettys waist, and pressed a button on his backpack strap. A pair of rockets burst out of the sides of his backpack, and within seconds- they were in the air. Evil Jimmy held onto her as tightly as he could, as they raced through the hallway.

"WHAT IS GOING OOON!" she bellowed. "I _asked_ you not to yell in my face!" Evil Jimmy hissed. "I NEVER AGREED TO THAT! WHA-" Betty was cut off as Evil Jimmy took a sharp turn.

"ROOOAR!"

"WHAT WAS THAT!?" yelled Betty. This time, Evil Jimmy ignored her- and kept twisting around the hallways. Their speed was increasing with every passing second. Slowly, something green began to creep over the walls. The ground continued to shake. "Okay- looks like, we're gonna need to go through a window- doc." yelled Evil Jimmy.

Betty didn't have time to react, as Evil Jimmy and Betty burst through the window and into the open air. Shards of glass continued to fly off their clothes as they climbed into the air. Betty saw the ground get further and further away. She squeezed him without thinking about it. Evil Jimmy frowned.

He stopped in the air for a moment, watching the school. It looked like it was being attacked by some kind of green slime. Betty gave a low gasp. "Wha-... what's going on..." she muttered.

"Some jerk is-" Evil Jimmy was cut off, as his jetpack began to sputter. He spared it a glance, and let out a low sigh.

"I, _hate _where this is going." he grumbled.

The jetpack sputtered to a stop, and Evil Jimmy and Betty were sent falling to the Earth. Betty let out a loud scream, while Jimmy put his hands behind his head and sighed. "Aw, quit it, dollface. We all die, _eventually._" he said. "THIS IS ALL _YOUR _FAULT!" she screamed. Evil Jimmy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Geeze- try to do a girl a favour..." he grumbled.

Before they hit the ground- something caught them in the air. It was something big and... squishy. And... green. The giant creature landed with a powerful 'slam!' on the ground. "Rrrgh! Let me go!" yelled Betty. The giant creature pushed them into its chest. They struggled against the green... _stuff_, only to find that neither of them could move an inch.

"RRRGH!" Evil Jimmy yelled. "Hurry up and show yourself! And get us out of this... _algae_!" he hissed.

"Oh- ho! Somebody knows their algae!"

Evil Jimmy winced. He didn't know the voice- but he knew the sound of a mad scientist when he hear it. Sure enough, the algae slowly collected on the ground in front of them- leaving the school and twisting itself around on the spot. Slowly, it began to puff up- like a giant green puddle, and slowly morph into the shape of a man.

It finished in a matter of seconds, and there- standing in front of them, was a tall, skinny old man- with long silver hair standing up on end. He was wearing a lab coat, and old white pants and brown leather shoes. His skin was dark green, with several black blotches all over his face.

The old man cackled to himself. "Hello, there!" he yelled. "I, am here to take you to my _lair_. You! Betty Quinlin... You will make a marvelous pawn..." he muttered to himself, as he rubbed his hands together. He glared at Evil Jimmy and frowned. "But- you... to think you almost got away... I had no idea that she had the company of more than _one_ annoying little genius boy!" he announced.

Evil Jimmy rolled his eyes. "Why don't you cut the monologue and skip to the part where you _beg _for_ mercy_, doc? Trust me- it'll save a whole lotta time and _heartache_." he growled.

The crazy old man cackled to himself again- and then stopped suddenly. "Oh... you know me! You know that I am... a doctor!" he announced. Suddenly, he began to tap dance on the spot. "Dap-do-le-doo-la-de-doo-la-dee!" he sang. "But wait!" he interrupted himself. "We have to _go_ now... you never know who could be... _spying_..." he mumbled to himself. "You'll be coming too- other genius boy! You will make a fine addition to my _army..._" he announced.

With that- the crazy old man resumed tap dancing.

Betty gulped. Something told her that whatever it was that was happening- it wasn't good. And as she was quickly stuffed into a tiny rocket with Evil Jimmy, she let out a low groan.

Was just _one_ good day too much to ask?

* * *

Jimmy, Carl and Sheen blinked. The hallways were damp- and covered with a fine green fuzz. They glanced at each other. "Uh... do you know what, uh... what's going on?" asked Sheen. Jimmy shook his head. "No... Is this considered unusual?" he asked. Carl and Sheen nodded.

"Yep. Usually whenever something like this happens we get the day off school..." as Sheen spoke, a voice boomed over the intercom. "All students are excused from school activities for the day." it said. There was a loud squeak, and the intercom went dead.

"Awe-some! Schools out!" yelled Sheen. "Yeah! Let's go to the Candy Bar; I heard that they have a new kind of ice-cream sundae that glows in the dark..." said Carl. "How can you tell- it's always light out whenever it's open!" said Sheen. Carl pondered this, and opened his mouth to give what he thought was a suitable explanation- when Jimmy interrupted.

"Guys- shouldn't we look into the, uh- green stuff?" asked Jimmy. Carl groaned. "Aw- okay. But don't take too long..." he grumbled. Jimmy nodded. "Sheen, can you acquire a small sample for me?" he asked. Sheen saluted him. "Sure thing, Captain Jimmy!" he said, as walked over to the wall and scraped off a handful of the furry, squishy green stuff. "Wow- this stuff is weird... kinda like Carls moms weird cookies..." he muttered.

"Hey, leave my moms cookies alone! They're hypoallergenic!" yelled Carl.

"Yeah- they're_ horrible _alright."

"Shee-een!"

"Goddard? Do you have a microscope?" asked Jimmy. Goddard nodded, and opened his back. His robotic hand reached out, and handed Jimmy a microscope. "Thank you, boy. Sheen? Do you have the specimen?" asked Jimmy. Sheen handed him a hand full of the green slimy stuff. Jimmy took a small piece of it, and put it under the scope.

He frowned, and adjusted it slowly. "It appears to be some kind of mutated algae... Do we know anybody who might be able to produce such a thing?" he asked.

Carl and Sheen shrugged. "I dunno. Sounds kinda weird- now c'mon! Let's go!" yelled Sheen.

Jimmy sighed. "Oh... very well. I will have Goddard run the data through a criminal database or two- maybe we'll find something..." he said.

As the three of them prepared to leave, they heard somebody calling them from the distance.

"Hey, Neutron!"

They stopped, and turned around. Jimmy frowned. It was another person who appeared to know him- but who Jimmy had no memory of whatsoever. He made a mental note to go through his past more carefully with Goddard some time in the future.

"Nick? What do you want?" asked Sheen.

Nick reached them, gasping for breath. "Somebody... some..." he huffed. He looked sweaty and distressed. His hair was a mess- which was unheard of for him. But at that moment, he didn't care.

"Somebody... took... Betty..." he wheezed. He stood himself up. "It was probably one of your lame _enemies_, Nerdtron!" he growled. "And thanks to you..." he grit his teeth. "You'd _better _get her back!"

"What do you mean?" asked Jimmy. Nick grabbed him by the collar and growled at him. "I don't know what you think you're playing at with her- but you've already hurt her... " he growled. Jimmy was growing more and more confused. Sheen and Carl politely separated them, and politely pushed Nick into the floor.

Nick sat himself up. "Listen... she... she's..." he stopped speaking for a while, and closed his mouth. He seemed to be thinking about something. He took a long, deep breath. "Look... somebody told me that some creepy kid picked her up outta class before this green stuff hit the school... I... I think she's in danger, Neutron..." he said. He looked down at his hands.

"I need you to find her. And... get her back... I know you care about her too... that's... that's probably why they took her..." he muttered.

Jimmy Quinlin... _Betty Quinlin..._ Suddenly, he remembered the photograph that he had found next to the bed. It was of a really pretty girl... He frowned. Maybe _that_ was her.

"Sorry, guys. No 'Candy Bar'." said Jimmy. Carl and Sheen shrugged. "Aw, thats okay- Jim. Adventures _always_ take precedence over desert." Carl recited, as if it were a line that he quoted all the time. Sheen nodded in agreement.

"Yeah! To the lab!" he announced.

Suddenly, the boys heard a loud grinding noise, that echoed throughout the school. They were standing next to a big group of lockers- and one of them began to glow. "Are you Jimmy, Carl and Sheen?" asked a loud, deep voice. Sheen blinked. "Uh... is that locker _speaking_ to us?" he asked.

"Are you, or are you not?" asked the glowing locker. "Alright- fine. That's us... No need to get all crabby about it..." Sheen huffed.

All of a sudden, the locker opened up- and a massive lasso flew out of it, roping Jimmy, Carl and Sheen together and- before any of them had any time to react- they were pulled into the locker.

Goddard and Nick were left in the school hallway- all alone.

Nick gulped. In the Retroville picking order- Jimmy was always the first one to ask for help, despite the fact that he was also one of the least well liked. Unfortunately, the picking order went by intelligence more than anything else. Which meant that there was only one other person Nick could ask for help.

Cindy Vortex.

* * *

_To be continued_

* * *

_(AN: Next chapter might be a little long. Just as a few notes, some of the villains look different in my story due to various things happening. I really want to thank the kind folks who have been kind enough to read my story. Again, it really helps. I know this one is short, but... the next one probably won't be. Any-who... see you next time!)_


	16. Chapter 15

_Chapter Fifteen: Jimmy Neutron and the Mission Briefing_

"Uh... Sorry, guys. Our, uh- _sucking_ technology is in the shop... "

After landing with a loud 'smack!' on the floor, Jimmy, Carl and Sheen were pulled out of the rope, and invited to sit at a large table in the middle of the dark room. The only source of light was a single bulb hanging from the ceiling and giving off a dull orange glow. Because of this- it was hard to see the faces of the other people sitting around the table. Their faces were coated in darkness.

The man who had been the first to address them stepped out of the shadows. He was big, and wearing an expensive looking suit. He was wearing glasses, that hung just on the edge of his nose. His eyes were brown, and kind. He was bald, and his skin a dark brown. He smiled.

"Welcome back, Jimmy Neutron." he said.

Jimmy opened his mouth to ask who the man was- and why he and his friends had been taken from school all of a sudden, only to be interrupted by Sheen.

"Hey, there- Bakerman! How's the spy game?" he asked, loudly.

This caused all of the shadowy faces around the table to begin to murmur to each other. The big man with glasses ignored them. "It's 'Baker', Sheen. Commander Baker. I asked you here to-" Commander Baker began, only to be rudely interrupted. "Oh- _Baker_? Are you sure? I thought it was Baker-_man_. Are you going to give us another awesome top secret mission, Mister _Baker_- Are we going to assassinate the president? Win a big poker tournament? Or-"

"Sheen, don't interrupt!" said Carl.

Sheen pouted. "What? But you just interrupted! Jimmy- Carl just interrupted me!" he complained. "I did not!" Carl exclaimed. Suddenly, everybodys attention was focused on Jimmy.

Jimmy nervously cleared his throat. "Um... _'Commander'_ Baker, was it?" asked Jimmy. Commander Baker nodded. "I don't know what is going on... But I feel that I should warn you... I am currently... without memory. Meaning that I have no memory of you, or... this place..." he trailed off. Commander Baker looked grim.

"I see... he muttered. Was there another mis-hap with your... Forget-O Blaster?" he asked.

"No- it was from the weird alien infection that did a whole bunch of crazy stuff... I don't remember a lot of it 'cuz I died at some stage." said Sheen. Carl nodded, as if to confirm Sheens story. Commander Baker frowned. "I see... well... Nevertheless- you're country needs your help, Jimmy Neutron. Do you think you're up to it?" he asked.

Jimmy shrugged. "I'll give it a shot." he said.

* * *

Jimmy, Sheen and Carl were quickly ushered into another room, while the people around the table began to loudly discuss their christmas plans. The other room was massive, and well lit- in stark contrast to the room they were just in. The group squinted at the light.

A loud whirring noise began to pierce the air. Suddenly, a part of the wall opened up- revealing what looked like an old dusty elevator, as well as its old and dusty inhabitant. He was a tall man, with a tuft of long silver hair combed over a bald spot on the very top of his head. He was wearing a white lab coat, over a dull shirt. He had a small pencil tucked behind his ear, that he quickly removed when he noticed that he had company. He pulled out a small notepad from his breast pocket, and scribbled something before sparing the group a weary glance.

"May I help you?" he asked.

"Yes. Jimmy Neutron and his friends-"

"Sheen!"

"I'm Carl!"

"-were just on their way out to begin their new mission. I was hoping you would help brief them, and give them- mostly Jimmy- some new gadgets, Doctor Cue." finished Commander Baker.

Doctor Cue grimaced. He had met the _Neutron_ boy before- and he had made a total fool out of him. All of Neutrons gadgets had outranked Doctor Cue's gadgets by almost ten on the 'coolness' meter. In fact, that incident had sent him spiralling into the depths of despair from which he had only recently recovered.

But _this_ time...

Doctor Cue cleared his throat, and walked the group over towards a giant screen in the wall. "What is the mission number again, Commander Baker?" asked Doctor Cue. Commander Baker thought for a second. "Oh... Thirty... Sixty... Seven, I believe." he said.

Doctor Cue nodded, and turned to the keyboard. After a few awkward seconds of loud typing, the screen flickered to life. Doctor Cue pointed to the screen. A map of the word was spread out across it. There were small red dots scattered across it. "These are the locations of every known laboratory working in the field of genetic research and experimentations. In the past few months, every one of them has been broken into. Only a few things have been stolen so far. A few data chips, and a few hundred million dollars worth of equipment." Doctor Cue explained.

"Now, as this had had been transpiring on a world wide basis, it had been difficult to make a connection between these robberies. And- as we are not in the business of investigating small robberies such as these, the cases, at least the American ones- were being handled by the FBI. This all changed, however- when one of our top agents uncovered..."

Doctor Cue frowned, as he fumbled with the keyboard for a little bit, until finally the image of a massive mountain of green appeared on the screen.

"This was discovered close to a small island in the pacific ocean. When it was discovered that the green substance that appeared to be growing out of it was in fact highly radioactive- we stepped in. Our organisation claimed ownership over the mountain using the 'I saw it first' law in the 'National Secret Organisation Rulebook', and we quickly sent a team in to investigate. After drilling though layers of the green substance-" Doctor Cue continued, as he switched to a new image.

"We discovered that it was in fact a giant submarine of some kind- that had been overrun by this... substance. After running a few tests- we discovered that it was a mutated form of common algae." explained Doctor Cue. The submarine looked dark and foreboding. The walls were caked with thick algae. "It was inside of the submarine that we managed to uncover the missing research equipment... however, we also discovered a number of nuclear materials. We believe that this culprit may have been building a bomb."

Doctor Cue took a deep breath. "We sent our best agent into the field, tracking the bomb maker- but he disappeared somewhere in Europe. Your mission, should you choose to accept it- is to track down this agent, and assist him in locating and apprehending this suspected bomb maker. We must warn you... you may not come back from this alive." he finished.

Jimmy, Carl and Sheen thought about this for a moment.

"Who is this missing agent? What does he look like?" asked Jimmy. "Aw, come on- Jimmy! It's Jet Fusion! Who else could it be?" asked Sheen. "Sheen, you shouldn't make assumptions like that- surely Jet wouldn't let himself get captured _again..._" said Carl.

Commander Baker cleared his throat. "Actually... it _is_ Jet Fusion." he said. "He actually gets captured a lot... I mean- he usually escapes and saves the day, but he can never seem to _not _get himself _captured_..."

"I suppose you will be wanting a range of devices for your little _mission_?" asked Doctor Cue, grating his teeth as he spoke. "Oh- Oh! Me first! Me first! I want the first cool gadget!" yelled Carl. Doctor Cue sighed, and rubbed his temples. "Very well. Gentleman- follow me." he instructed.

The group walked over to a small counter, that had a variety of gizmos, gadgets and inventions scattered all over it. Doctor Cue picked one of them up, and handed it to Carl. It was a small black rectangle. Carl looked at it, and then back at Doctor Cue. Doctor Cue sighed. "Just... open it. It flips open." he said. Carl started pulling at it, but nothing was happening. He frowned, and brought it to his mouth.

Biting it didn't seem to help either.

"Will you- _Just give it to me_!" yelled Doctor Cue. He angrily snatched the black rectangle from Carls hands, and flipped it open from the middle. "This is called a 'cell-phone' the numbers are here, and this is a screen. You can run through a list of contacts using these buttons..." he instructed, as he pointed to the buttons.

Carls eyes widened. "Oooh- coo-oool!" he said. Doctor Cue rolled his eyes and gave Carl the cellphone. "Oh! I can play Tetris on this thing! Aah! No! Don't fall there! Stop!" Carl yelled, as he focused all of his attention to the cellphone. Doctor Cue handed Jimmy and Sheen identical cellphones. "You may need to keep in contact with each other. Your phones have each others contact information preprogrammed into it. Any questions?" asked Doctor Cue.

Sheen raised his hand. "Um- can I make collect calls with this to say, oh, I dunno... The Ultralord hotline!?" he yelled. "No! No collect calls! _We'll_ be the ones stuck with the bill..." grumbled Doctor Cue.

"Oh, okay... I pinky swear that I _won't_ call the Ultralord hotline!"

"I can see that you have your fingers crossed."

"Nu-uh!"

Doctor Cue decided to move on. "Okay- next, we have a grappling hook- cleverly concealed inside of this cellphone."

"Wait- how come they're all cellphones!?" asked Sheen. Doctor Cue rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. They are not _all _cellphones. Next- we have a state of the art jet-pack, cleverly disguised as a cellphone..."

"_Another_ cell phone? Why do we need _another_ cellphone!? We won't need to make _that_ many calls!" said Sheen. "Oh, please. Only the_ regular _cellphone can make calls. These devices are simply _disguised_ as cellphones." explained Doctor Cue. Carl frowned. "B-but then, why can't you just give us a jetpack and a grappling hook that just look like a jetpack and a grappling hook?" he asked.

"Look- do you want them or not!?" demanded Doctor Cue.

Sheen and Carl sighed. "Yeees, Doctor Cue..." they mumbled in unison.

"These devices are quite impressive, Doctor Cue. However- I believe that I may have already generated a mobile device into my dog... As well as a grappling hook, a fly-cycle upgrade, about fourteen different kinds of lasers and weapons, and-" Jimmy was cut off all of a sudden, when Doctor Cue placed his hands over his ears and began to sing. "LALALALA! I CAN'T HEEEEAR YOOOU!" he bellowed.

Commander Baker sighed. "Alright, boys. Agent Fusion was last seeing chasing down a lead in London, England. I hope you boys are ready- the jet leaves in ten minutes." he said. "Wow! A _jet_!?" exclaimed Sheen. "That's awesome! C'mon, Carl! Lets grab a bunch of these cell phone thingies and go!"

Carl and Sheen picked up a hand-full of cellphones, and put them in their pockets. Then, Jimmy, Carl and Sheen followed Commander Baker to the air force hanger. Jimmy began to quietly fiddle with one of the cellphones as they walked. Finally, he opened up the back, to find a massive array of wires, all connected to a single computer chip. Jimmy smiled. He could do something with that...

* * *

Goddard knew Nick Dean fairly well. According to his files, he was the so-called 'cool' kid of Lindenburgh Elementary School- and he had managed to carry that title onto middle school as well. He had been known to cause his master some grief every now and again, but usually- Nick could be considered a harmless ego maniac.

After watching Jimmy, Sheen and Carl get pulled into a locker- and watching Nick run off calling out Cindys name as loudly as he could, Goddard found that he had a decision to make. He could either track down his master, and make sure he was safe- or help the desperate looking cool kid find Cindy.

Goddard had some idea where his master might be. Jimmy had told his about the Big Top Secret Organisation, or 'B.T.S.O' before- and he had surmised that he had probably been summoned by them again. Goddard went into his computer brain, and checked Jimmys vitals. They were fine. Goddard gave a low whine.

He had been programmed with loyalty- but he had also learned from his master that it was wrong to abandon somebody in need. And if Jimmy was with B.T.S.O, then he would be fine. Nick on the other hand- judging from the way he was sliding around on the green slime that had coated the floors of the school hallway... Well, he probably _wouldn't _be fine. Goddard whined, and nodded to himself. He had no choice. He would look for Jimmy after he dealt with this.

"Bark! Bark!" Goddard barked, as he flew over to Nick- and picked him up by the back of his leather jacket, before he got the chance to crash into something and break his leg or something.

"Hey! Wha- Hey, you stupid dog! Put me down! You're going to bit through the leather!" yelled Nick. Goddard ignored him, and flew him outside of the school- and away from the slippery algae. With that, Goddard unceremoniously dumped Nick into a patch of grass.

"Ow!" he yelled.

Goddard accessed his speech software. "Nick Dean. For what reason do you wish to find Miss Cynthia Aurora Vortex?" asked Goddard. Nick blinked. "Uh... did you just talk?" he asked.

Goddard nodded.

Nick frowned and opened his mouth to say something- but decided against it. "Uh... well- Cindy is pretty much the second in command when it comes to catastrophic scenarios around here, isn't she?" he asked. Goddard shrugged. "That's arguable- but I concede that your logic is sound. Very well. Allow me to assist you in finding her." said Goddard.

"Uh... right. And, how are you going to do that?" asked Nick.

Goddard opened up the panel in his chest, to reveal a small screen. Displayed on it was a radar. Nick could see a small green dot blinking on it. "This is the Neutronic Cindy Tracker. My master built it about a year ago." explained Goddard. Nick raised an eyebrow. "Uh... Dude- shouldn't you keep that sort of thing a secret?" he asked.

"Um... Yes, well... *ahem*... Please, er- keep this to yourself." said Goddard. His robotic sounding voice somehow managed to express his embarrassment. Nick shrugged. "Whatever, dude. So- She around, or what?"he asked. Goddard nodded. "I believe that she is headed over to the Candy Bar as we speak. Shall we go?" asked Goddard. Nick winced. "Uh... can't we just walk? I don't want to ruin my jacket..." he said.

"Is time not of the essence?"

Nick let out a low groan. "Aw, man..._ Fine_. Just... just hurry it up, will ya?" he asked. Goddard nodded, and grabbed the back of Nicks jacket with his mouth. Goddards propeller ears lifted them further and further into the air. Finally, when they were at a comfortable height for Goddard- one that made Nick all together_ less _comfortable- Goddard activated the thrust in his paws, and the unlikely duo sped off across the sky.

Nick grit his teeth. Years of riding on rollercoasters was finally coming in handy. Of course- rollercoasters were on _tracks_. This on the other hand- was a robot dog, invented by Jimmy Neutron of all people. Nick shuddered, and tried his best not to think about how most of Jimmys inventions had a habit of exploding.

Unfortunately- it still managed to cross his mind more than once.

Finally, they made it to the Candy Bar- and Nick had never been more glad to see a sidewalk in his life. They landed safely, and Nick took a long deep breath, and pulled a lollipop out of his jacket pocket. He needed it to take the edge off. He ripped off the wrapper, and put it into his mouth.

"Hmm- Flurp flavour..." he mumbled. "Alright, dog. Where's Cindy?" he demanded.

"I have a name, Mister Dean. You may address me as 'Goddard the Magnificent'." said Goddard. Nick raised an eyebrow. "What about just 'Goddard'?" he asked. Goddard huffed. "If you must..." he grumbled.

Suddenly, Nick and Goddard heard a familiar voice coming from down the street.

"Yeah- and I'll bet Neutron was responsible for it, too!" yelled Cindy. Cindy and Libby were walking down the street together, as they usually did. Except this time- their clothes were stained with massive green blotches. Libby sighed. "I don't know, girl. Jimmy lost all of his memories- remember? I doubt he could have managed to make something to destroy the school already. Maybe in a week or so but not in one_ day_." said Libby.

"Oh, please. Neutrons only good at destroying everything around him- with or without his memory." Cindy growled.

Libby frowned. "Cindy..." she muttered to herself. She was about to say something else, when she noticed Nick and Goddard standing by the entrance of the Candy Bar- looking impatient. "Nick? Goddard? Since when did you two start hanging out?" she asked. Nick shook his head. "We aren't. Listen, I wanted to-"

"Good afternoon Miss Cindy and Miss Libby. How do you fare on this splendid afternoon?" asked Goddard. Nick frowned. He didn't like being interrupted. "Uh, I need-" Nick started, only to be interrupted once again. "You might have been wondering about the sudden outbreak of mutated algae, correct?" asked Goddard, supposedly oblivious to Nicks angry scowl.

"Uh,_ yeah_. Did one of Neutrons lame-brain inventions blow a gasket or something?" asked Cindy. Nick looked at Goddard. Goddard motioned for him to speak. Nick nodded. "Well-" he began. "Actually, we were attacked. According to the criminal database, it was most likely by Doctor Sydney Moist. He did well known research in marine biology, as well as the study of algae. I believe Jimmy once delt with him during an adventure with Carl and Sheen during an adventure in the Bahama Quadrangle." explained Goddard.

Nick raised a fist at the mechanical dog. "You little..." he grumbled. Goddard looked up at him innocently, and Nick rolled his eyes. "The Bahama Quadrangle? They've been to the Bahama Quadrangle- and _lived_?" exclaimed Libby. Goddard nodded. "Yes. But that it not the issue at hand. Mister Dean?" Goddard asked, inviting Nick to speak.

Nick sent Goddard a withering glare, and cleared his throat. "Well, actually-" Nick sent Goddard another glare, but this time, he didn't interrupt. "Some jerk kidnapped my sister. I was going to ask Neutron to help- but he got... uh... roped up... anyway- You're the second smartest person in Retroville, right Cindy?" he asked.

Cindy blushed. "Oh- I don't know about that..." she mumbled, suddenly looking embarrassed with herself. Libby rolled her eyes. "Well, you've gotta help her!" said Nick. "Now hold on, Nick. You have a sister? Since when?" asked Libby.

"Oh... Well, my mom got married to this guy a while ago... and, well... he already had a daughter. S-so we're only, like, siblings in law... but... uh... I kinda..." he frowned, as he felt himself beginning to get flustered. He couldn't have that. He grit his teeth, and regained his cool composure. "I owe her a lot." he said. "She's... good."

Nicks frown deepened, as he felt heat begin to rise to his face. "Any-way! Will you help out, or what!?" he asked. Cindy had a big stupid grin on her face. Libby rolled her eyes again. 'And she complains about how Jimmy gets around Betty...' she thought to herself.

"Well sure, Nick... I'd be happy to help out in any way I can..." she said. Libby sighed. "Uh-huh, and just what is it that we should _do_, Miss 'Smartest Girl in Retroville'? Put her face on milk cartons or something?" asked Libby.

"Nope! We're going straight to Neutrons lab!" Cindy announced. "I'm sure he won't mind, after all- it's for a worthy cause..." she said, flashing Nick a flirtatious grin. Libby felt like gagging, but settled for rolling her eyes again. "I don't know about that, Cindy. You and Jimmy aren't exactly on the best of terms right now..." she said. Cindy huffed. "Oh please- that's Neutrons fault- not mine!" she yelled. "No... I'm pretty sure it's _both_ your stupid faults..." Libby grumbled to herself.

"By the way. Nick- I didn't know that Betty Quinlin had become your sister in law. That is quite an odd turn of events!" said Goddard. Nick scratched the back of his head, and was about to say something- when all of a sudden, an ominous aura rushed through the air.

Cindy let out a low growl. "_Betty... Quinlin_..." she spat. "You. Want. Me. To... _help..._ _Betty... Quinlin..." _she seethed. Nick blinked, and glanced at Libby, who simply sighed. "Well, its too late now, girl. You've already agreed to help. Goddard? Will you let us into Jimmys lab so we can track her down?" asked Libby.

Goddard nodded. "Of course. Well... I may have to rewire some of the anti-Cindy security functions, but..." he trailed off, when he noticed Cindys increasingly angry face. He gulped. "It will be no problem whatsoever." he said.

"Good. Are you coming too, Nick?" asked Libby. Nick thought about it for a moment, and sighed. "Yeah... I'll probably have to reschedule my pedicure but I-" he stopped when he noticed the looks on the girls faces. "I mean- sure! No problem at all!" he yelled.

With that, Libby grabbed Cindy by the arm, and dragged her all the way to Jimmys lab- ignoring her loud protests. Nick and Goddard followed close behind, remaining silent. Once they arrived at Jimmys clubhouse, Libby let go of Cindy, who seemed happy to stand in place and fume for a while. "Hey, uh- Libby?' asked Nick.

"Yes, Nick?"

"You, uh... Have to deal with that kinda stuff very often?" asked Nick. "What do you mean?" asked Libby. Nick pointed at Cindy, and Libby nodded in recognition. "Yeah... She only gets like this when Jimmy's involved though..." said Libby. Nick put his hand into his jacket, and pulled out another lollipop.

"Here." he said. The lollipop was a sign of both appreciation and pity. Libby took it any way. "Thanks. Goddard? Can you let us in?" she asked.

Goddard nodded.

"Bark! Bark!" he barked. Suddenly, a disembodied voice began to emanate from the clubhouse. "Bark code identified. Welcome home, Goddard. Who's a good boy?" it said.

Before anybody had a chance to react to that- they had already fallen through the welcome mat- and were sent flying through a series of tubes, before finally landing on a big mattress. Goddard was the first one on his feet, as he made his way over to the computer. A robotic hand sprouted out of his back, and it began to run its fingers over the keyboard.

"Now scanning for subject; Betty Quinlin." said the computer.

As the computer began a global scan, Nick began to look around. "Wow... No wonder Neutron's able to make all of those inventions of his..." he muttered. Cindy took the groups momentary distraction as a chance to slink away and do some snooping of her own. She walked over to Jimmys work station, and looked over the mess that was sprawled all over it. There was oil, pieces of metal, wires and a stack of old cans of Purple Flurp. She smiled- but quickly shook it off.

That was when she saw it.

A small notepad, with the words 'My Journal' printed on it. Her heart skipped a beat. This was too good to be true... She looked around to make sure that nobody was looking, and picked it up. She flipped through the pages very quickly, until she reached the last page.

'i vole inycd xotevr' was written on the bottom of the page in small print.

She frowned. It was written in some kind of code... She pouted, and put the journal down. Even if she stole it and studied it for a week- she would never be able to decode it without the code key- and there was no way that Jimmy would give her that. As she continued to make her way around the lab, she noticed something covered by a sheet, sitting in the corner. She walked over to it, and gave the sheet a sharp tug.

It was the thing that April had given him before they left... 'What was its name again?' she wondered. 'Oh yeah..._ 'Lithium Atom'_...'

The atom was floating in its glass casing, the small little balls that seemed to be constantly rotating around its core seemed to be travelling faster than she remembered. Cindy frowned. She was getting a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach... Something was wrong.

"Hey, Cindy! Hurry up! We're taking a rocket over to where Betty is!" yelled Libby.

Cindy jumped, and spun around quickly to face her friend. "Yeah- uh-huh! I'll be right there!" she yelled. Cindy met her friend near the rocket. It looked like somehow, she had managed to get roped into yet another one of Jimmy Neutrons stupid little adventures.

Of course, Cindy didn't hate that fact nearly as much as she said she did. In fact, one tiny little part of her... felt glad.

* * *

Betty Quinlin was not glad. In fact, she had never felt so completely and utterly _not_ glad in her entire life. Because at that moment, she was chained to a thick concrete slab in a damp, dark cell. She had woken up just a few hours earlier, and had been trying to rip the metal out of the cement with every ounce of strength she had. Naturally- it wasn't enough. But she kept on trying, until her arms began to scream with pain. Finally, she sat down and put her face in her hands.

She tried to calm down. Her heart was slamming against her chest as if it were trying to escape. Betty sympathised with it. She took a deep breath, and shut her eyes. She tried to imagine herself back in her home. Staring at her favourite news clipping, hung on her wall.

'Jimmy Neutron; Boy Genius?'

She smiled to herself. That was the first time she had ever heard of Jimmy Neutron. It was the first article to have ever been written in the Retroville newspaper about their local genius. Now he had an entire section dedicated to reporting on his various antics. Betty took another deep breath.

The crazy old man had abducted her to lure Jimmy out. She bit her bottom lip. It would probably work, too... She frowned. But... Jimmy was sick. She still remembered the image of him sprawled out all over the floor- covered in blood. She shuddered. She hadn't really gotten the chance to speak to him since then... She grit her teeth. She had been ignoring him... All because of a promise she had made to a certain 'Little Miss Loud Mouth'.

It would be okay if the aforementioned loud mouthed girl had actually made some_ progress _since then. Instead however- they seemed to be drifting further apart than ever. She frowned, and shook her head- as if to rid it of the subject all together.

Suddenly, the boy sitting in the corner of the cell began to stir. Betty felt her heart drop. "_Great... _First I'm imprisoned... and now I have to deal with _him.._." she grumbled to herself.

The 'him' that she was referring to was none other than Jimmy Neutron himself. Or- more accurately, the _evil clone _of Jimmy Neutron. Evil Jimmy opened his eyes, giving Betty a start. She still wasn't used to those piercing red eyes of his...

Evil Jimmy frowned. "So... a cell, huh? How..._ uncreative.._." he spat. "Are you okay, _doc_?" he asked.

Betty raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think you were capable of _caring_..." she growled. Evil Jimmy chuckled to himself. "Now, now, _Dollface_. There's no need for..._ unpleasantness_..." he said. Betty took a deep breath. He was right... But, she was frustrated- and she needed something to lash out at. She looked at him.

He was chained to the wall too. Except not just by the leg like she was. Every one of his limbs had a thick piece of metal wrapped around it- which was attached to a thick metal chain, that was attached to the wall. Even his incredibly large head had a big metal ring wrapped around it- around his forehead, just above his eyes.

Betty sighed. He was in the same bind she was in- literally. Actually- he had it much worse. Despite that, Evil Jimmy continued to chuckle to himself. "Hey now, Betty- if you keep starin' like that I might start to get the wrong idea..." he said. Betty rolled her eyes. "Whatever..." she mumbled.

The two of them stayed in silence, as the seconds seemed to crawl by. Eventually, they glanced at each other again- and their eyes met. Betty frowned. She was pretty good at reading people- at least she liked to think so, anyway. But no matter how much she tried, she could never seem to get a good idea of what Evil Jimmy was really thinking. All she ever saw was that mischievous glint in his eyes. She knew that there was something else behind it, but... try as she might- she just couldn't see it. Finally, Betty decided to break the silence with a question.

"Why... are your eyes red?" she asked.

Evil Jimmy raised a thick black eyebrow. "Oh? Why do you ask, doc?" he asked. Betty shrugged. "I don't know... You're supposed to be a clone of Jimmy- right? Don't clones usually look... the same?" she asked.

"Well, that was true at first- _dollface. _But... a few little things happened to me since the last time I tangled with ol' whippy dip. The hair and the eyes are just a cosmetic mutation- nothing to worry about. Besides, I think they make me more... _charming._" he smiled, darkly. His eyes looked menacing, and coupled with his hair style... he really looked like some kind of twisted supervillain.

Betty took another deep breath, and let it out as a long, tired sigh.

"Do you know the tap dancing wonder?" asked Evil Jimmy. Betty shook her head, and stayed silent. "I see... He must be one of the guys that old whippy-dip fought with after I was created..." Evil Jimmy mused. "He must've went after you to draw the little runt out... He _has_ been missing for quite the while..."

"Do you know where he went?" asked Betty.

Evil Jimmy shrugged. "According to Vox's logs- old whippy-dip managed to make his brain really _sick_. I tracked his ship down to a planet called _'Gorlock'_. I've never been- but I've heard that the inhabitants can be quite..._ ferocious_."

"I see... do you think... they can help him?" she asked.

"Oh, of course not. No- I've dealt with what's inside of his brain before. If my calculations are correct- and of course they are- then he'll be in remission right now. Brain scans will come up clean... and then- well... Then stage two happens." said Evil Jimmy.

"Wha-... What's 'Stage Two'?" asked Betty.

"Oh, it's not good. You can trust me on that,_ dollface_."

* * *

"Who can save us?"

"I know who!"

"Who!?"

"Why Ultra Duke, of course!"

"ULTRA DUKE!"

Sheen twitched. "Aw, man! This british rip-off of Ultralord is terrible! Look at this! He's just drinking tea! Shoot something, man! SHOOT SOMETHING!" he yelled.

Jimmy sighed. It was night time in London, England. The three of them had been taken into a luxurious hotel room, courtesy of the B.T.S.O. It had everything. A big hot tub, with a giant TV in front of it, a massive beautiful looking couch with a giant TV in front of it- and a set of bunk beds with- naturally- a giant TV in front of it. The three of them had spent their first few hours in London taking advantage of room service by ordering massive amounts of food- most of which went directly to Carl- and flipping through the channels on one of the three giant TVs.

And although it went against Jimmys better judgement- he couldn't help but join his friends in gorging himself and watching TV. He might've had a hero complex and a genius IQ- but he was still a thirteen year old boy, after all. The big important mission could wait until the morning.

"Hey, Jimmy! Come on into the hot tub- It's reaally nice!" yelled Carl.

"Are you wearing underwear?" Jimmy yelled back.

"Um, well..."

"I told you before._ No_."

"Aw, but they _chafe_..."

Carl turned on the Llama channel, and sat back in the tub. He picked up a box of donuts, and balanced it delicately on his stomach. "Aaah... this is the life." said Carl.

Sheen sighed, and took another handful of popcorn.

"I, say Ultra Duke- can you pass the tea?"

"Why certainly, sir. And might I say- your petticoat is_ remarkably _smashing."

"I say!"

Sheen groaned again. "Sheen, if it's so bad- stop watching it!" said Jimmy. Sheen turned to face his friend, looking completely helpless. "But... I can't... I'm hypnotised by their accents..." he said.

Jimmy rolled his eyes and changed the channel. "Hey! Ultra Duke was about to complain about something!" yelled Sheen. Jimmy ignored him, and kept flipping through the channels until he found the news.

"And what a truly wonderful shoe it was..." said the anchor. In the corner of the screen was a picture of a single laced shoe. "In other news... The wormhole that appeared in the middle of the street last week has continued to be rather bothersome. Citizens had this to say;" said the news anchor, before cutting to footage of an elderly looking man with wearing a top hat and a monocle.

"It has become... rather..._ bothersome_."

Suddenly, it cut back to the anchor. "This has been Rambleton Muthorford, with the news." And with that, the screen faded to black. Sheen quickly dived for the remote, and changed the channel back to the 'Ultra Duke' marathon.

Jimmy yawned, and stood himself up. "Well... I think I'll go to sleep now. Carl!" Jimmy called out. "Make sure you don't fall asleep in that thing and drown!"

"Can do!" Carl yelled out in response.

* * *

Outside, on the roof of the building across the street, and man dressed in black walked over to the edge, and put down his bag. He unzipped it, and pulled out a massive high powered sniper rifle. The man smiled, and carefully laid down on his stomach. He looked down the scope. The boys head was the biggest target he had ever seen. He put it in the crosshairs.

This was it.

He took a deep breath.

And pulled the trigger.

* * *

_To be continued..._

* * *

_(AN: I once again wish to thank the kind folks who have been kind enough to read and review my story. Also- a special mention to TheWonderfulShoe for coming out of hiding just long enough to read my story. As a special kind of thanks- I put your name in this chapter. But you'll have look reaaal careful. It's very subtle. Until next time!)_


	17. Chapter 16

_Chapter Sixteen: Jimmy Neutron and the Shooter's Clue_

Mission accomplished.

He was just about the start packing the sniper rifle and be on his way- when he noticed something. The boy... he was still standing. The shooter flinched. "What!?" he spat. "That's not..."

He quickly drew his eye to the scope. The boy had a thin trickle of blood running down his face. The boy turned around, and saw a the bullet hole in the window. The boy was looking straight at him. The shooter growled to himself. "How... how could I have _missed_!?" he hissed. It looked like the bullet had passed through the boys massive hair-do, scraping across the scalp but otherwise leaving little to no damage.

The boy immediately ducked down.

His chance was gone. The shooter grit his teeth, and picked up the sniper rifle. He had to get out of there. _Now_. The boy would no doubt be calling for back up- and he couldn't afford to be there when they arrived. He picked up the bag, and ran across the roof, towards the fire escape. His van was waiting for him in the alleyway. He moved quickly- but professionally. He didn't want to risk making a mistake in his haste.

Then, he heard the sound of glass breaking.

* * *

Jimmy didn't waste any time. He could see the figure on the roof of the building across from the window begin to move. He pulled one of the cellphones out of his pocket, and aimed it carefully at the building. He pressed a button, and a sleek metal claw shot out of it, attached to a long piece of rope. It shattered the window- but Jimmy didn't care about that right now. The claw smashed into the wall of the building, just a few centimetres from the roof. Jimmy gave it a tug. It seemed firm, so he pressed another button. Immediantly- the rope began to retract, a little faster than Jimmy had expected. He grabbed the phone with both hands, as it pulled him through the shattered remains of the glass- and through the air.

He smacked into the side of the building with a loud crunch. He could feel the bones in his face rattle- but he ignored it, and grabbed the ledge with one hand, keeping the other gripped on the grappling hook/cellphone. With a deep breath, he let go of the phone, and swung his other hand onto the ledge. Slowly but surely, Jimmy managed to pull himself up.

The shooter was standing there, looking mildly shocked.

"Well... you are more resourceful than the master led me to believe..." he growled. Jimmy put his hand in his pocket. The shooter pulled out a small handgun, and aimed it carefully at the boy genius. "Uh-uh... Don't move." he said. Jimmy grit his teeth and nodded.

"I don't know what kind of surveillance team you might have trained on you- obviously their not very good." said the shooter. Jimmy didn't say anything. The shooter smiled. "Looks like that weird hair style of yours just saved your life, _kid_. Pity it won't this time."

"Hey... do you have health insurance?" asked Jimmy.

The shooter frowned. "Excuse me?" he asked.

"Well- just out of curiosity... Does your employer happen to provide you with health insurance?" asked Jimmy. The shooter thought about this for a second, and shook his head. "No... No I don't think he does." he said.

Jimmy nodded. "Well... that's unfortunate." he said.

Jimmy pulled another cellphone out of his pocket. He could see the shooter begin to squeeze the trigger. Jimmy grit his teeth, and pressed a small button in the middle of the cellphone. Two massive rockets suddenly popped out of the back of it. Jimmy let it go, as the Cellphone/jetpack sped through the air- speeding straight into the shooters jaw.

There was a massive crunch, followed by a gun shot. The bullet missed Jimmy, and buried itself into roof. The cellphone/jetpack kept going far into the air- before eventually sputtering to a stop, and landing on the other side of the city.

Jimmy approached the shooters unconscious form slowly, and carefully kicked the gun out of his hand. The rockets had really done a number on the shooters face. Jimmy took a deep breath, and checked his pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief,when he felt a weak heartbeat.

He walked over to the edge of the roof, and cupped his hands over his mouth. "Hey, Sheen!? Do you have the cellphone?" yelled Jimmy. Sheen walked over to the shattered window, and waved at Jimmy. "Oh- Yeah! Which one!?" he yelled back. "The one for phone calls!" yelled Jimmy.

Sheen felt around his pockets, for a while, until he finally managed to produce the cellphone. "Okay- Here Jimmy! Catch!" yelled Sheen, as he threw the cellphone at his friend.

"Sheen, no!" yelled Jimmy.

Sure enough, the cellphone hung in the air for a moment, and then plummeted down to the street below. There was a loud 'crunch' and the sound of a car alarm going off filled the streets.

"Uh... my bad!"

"Just... Just use the hotel phone to call an ambulance!" yelled Jimmy.

"Okay..."

* * *

Carl Wheezer was sitting quietly in a chair in a dark room in front of a big metal table. Two men were standing over him. One of the men turned on the light, and put it in Carls face.

"What do you know!?" the man bellowed.

Carl squinted. "Ow... that lights really bright, you know..." he mumbled. Another man pulled the light back, and patted Carl on the shoulder. "Listen kid, I don't know how you might've gotten mixed up in this- but if you don't give us any information, we can't help you..." he said.

"Um, I don't know what's going on... where's Jimmy?" asked Carl. The angry man huffed. "The kids stalling for time! Let's just break out the pepper spray and-"

"What is wrong with you?" asked the other, more polite man.

"What do you mean? This snot-nosed little punk-"

"You wanna _pepper spray _him? I say, Harry- maybe it's time you see that therapist." said the polite man. "I don't have a problem! Things've just been a little difficult at home recently... I dunno... Punks like him really piss me off." said the angry man, gesturing at Carl- who was currently daydreaming about petting zoo's and chocolate-chip cookies.

"Look- all I'm saying is that there are healthier ways to deal with your anger than pepper-spraying children." said the polite man. The angry man rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah? Like what? Pepper spraying old folks? Homeless?" he asked. The polite man appeared to be getting more and more exasperated.

Suddenly, the door swung open. A tall, grim-looking man entered the room. He was wearing an expensive looking suit, all black- along with a pair of thick black sunglasses.

"Are you officers finished questioning the witness?" asked the man in black. The angry man and the polite man glanced at each other and shook their heads. "Um- no... We still haven't gotten any information from 'im." said the polite man. The man in black sighed. "Well, that is a shame." he said.

"Uh... why is that?" asked the angry man.

"Well, I just happened to run into your wives earlier- they were looking for you. And they looked very... _displeased_." said the man in black. The other two men felt a chill run down their spines. "Oh... Oh no! Come along, Neville! We have to get to the pub before they found out we're here!" yelled the angry man.

The polite man nodded quickly, and the two men ran out of the room and down the hall.

"Wait a moment- I don't even _have _a wife!" exclaimed the polite man as the made their way towards the emergency exit. "Now isn't the time for your complaining! Pick up your feet for crying out loud!" yelled the angry man. The man in black shook his head, and closed the door.

"Mister Wheezer- did you give the London police any critical information?" asked the man in black. Carl blinked. "What? Wh-... where am I again?" he asked.

The man in black sighed. "Okay- that's good I geuss... Come. You have to meet your friends at the hospital." he said. Carl nodded. "Oh, okay... um- who are you again?" he asked. The man in black gave Carl a small business card.

Carl squinted as he read what was written on it. "Um... Let's see... Agent Marcus, B.T.S.O... Oh, are you here to help Jimmy?" he asked. The man in black nodded. "Affirmative. Will you accompany me to your friend's location?" he asked.

Carl shrugged. "Okay, sure. Let me just make sure I have my Llama doll..."

"You did not bring one of those." said the man in black.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Oh... okay then." said Carl. With that, he slowly pulled himself off of the chair, and followed the man in black to an expensive looking car parked just outside. The man in black opened the door for Carl, who climbed in and began to wrestle with the seatbelt.

The man in black got in the drivers seat, and drove all the way to the hospital in silence- while Carl spent the entire trip wrestling with his seat belt.

* * *

Jimmy and Sheen had been waiting in the hospital waiting room for the better part of ten minutes. A few things had happened after the shooter had been carried away in an ambulance. First, Jimmy, Carl and Sheen had been pulled into the police station for questioning. Luckily, a B.T.S.O agent had managed to get them out of there before they were forced to answer any questions about the incident.

Well at least- he had managed to get Jimmy and Sheen out of it. For some reason, there had been a slight hold up with Carl, so the B.T.S.O agent in black took Jimmy and Sheen over to the hospital to wait to see if the shooter regained consciousness- while he went back to the police station for Carl.

And so, Jimmy and Sheen were left to wait. Neither of them were particularly good at waiting patiently- but one of them was significantly worse at it than the other. "And then,Ultra Duke goes into this cheese shop, right? And he keeps on asking for some cheese. But the guy behind the counter- right? He keeps on sayin' that they don't _have _that kind of cheese! And then, one of 'em shoots the other, and rides off into the sunset! It was cool!" said Sheen.

"Was it really?" asked Jimmy.

Sheen sighed. "I... I don't know... I just... _don't know_..." Sheen muttered to himself.

Just after the pair fell into another awkward silence, they heard a familiar voice from down the hall. "Hey, Jimmy! Hey, Sheen!" yelled Carl. He was walking down the hall, accompanied by the man in black. Both Jimmy and Sheen breathed a collective sigh of relief. "Aw, Carl! It's good to see you, man! Jimmy and I ran outta stuff to talk about after like, a _second_!" said Sheen.

Jimmy rolled his eyes. "I offered to discuss your theories on advanced quantum mechanics..." said Jimmy. "Like I said. So- Carl, did you get pepper sprayed?" asked Sheen. "I wanted one of 'em to do it on me, just to try it out- but they refused! Buncha jerks..." he muttered.

Carl shook his head. "Uh... no. Hey, Jimmy- what are we doing here? Can't we go back to the hotel room and eat?" he asked. Jimmy shook his head. "Sorry, Carl. We have to wait here in case the shooter regains consciousness. There're a few question I'd like him to answer..." explained Jimmy.

The man in black cleared his throat. "Agent Neutron, did you not recognise the shooter when you knocked him out?" he asked. Jimmy shook his head. "I see... Well I need you three to listen to me very carefully. The man in that hospital bed right now is no mere _assassin_." he explained. "That so-called 'shooter', is none other than Jet Fusion."

"Jet Fusion!?" yelled Carl and Sheen. Jimmy blinked. "Oh... the guy we were sent to find? Well then why did he try to kill me? Isn't he supposed to be on our side?" he asked.

The man in black nodded. "Exactly. Which is why it is critical that we question him as soon as possible." he said.

Jimmy nodded. "Alright guys. Get comfortable in your chairs. We might be here for a while." he said.

Carl and Sheen gave a collective groan. So much for their fancy holiday...

* * *

"How are we not there yet!? Isn't this stupid thing supposed to be a _rocket_!?" yelled Cindy. Goddard groaned. Nick, Libby, Cindy and Goddard had been tightly packed into the original Strato XL for almost twenty minutes now. Goddard had taken it upon himself to drive- which hadn't gone over well with Cindy. She was determined to prove that she was just as capable at operating Jimmy's rocket as Jimmy himself.

No matter how much Goddard tried to tell her that the Strato XL was much more complicated than the amusement park rides they had used to get to planet Yolkus a few years ago- Cindy would dig in her heels and insist all the more. Finally, Goddard took a deep breath- which was odd considering that he didn't have_ lungs_- and tried to explain to Cindy one more time.

"We have to go at a slower pace because if we increase the speed by so much as a fraction- we could very well speed straight past our destination and possibly even lose control of the ship." said Goddard.

Cindy huffed. "And why can't we use Neutrons hovercar?" she asked. "Because it's in the bottom level of the lab for its monthly tune up." said Goddard. Before Cindy could open her mouth again, Libby interrupted.

"So, where are we headed, anyway- Goddard?" she asked. "Oh, yes. The global Betty scan says that Miss Quinlin is somewhere in the city of London, England. Unfortunately- the scanner could not provide more accurate findings for some reason..." explained Goddard.

"Oh- So we're going to London? Cool. You think we could hit Paris on our way back?" asked Libby.

Goddard shrugged. "I don't see why not."

"So, uh... whats the plan once we land?" asked Nick. Libby thought for a second. "Well, I was thinking we hit the mall first- I think they have malls in London... And then, maybe we hit the usual tourist spots-"

"I mean what's the plan for finding Betty?" asked Nick.

Libby looked a little embarrassed. "Oh- right. Um, well... I guess we just get Goddard to track her as best we can, and go from there." she said. Nick nodded.

"Why do I have to do this again?" asked Cindy. "Because I'm not giving you a choice, girl." said Libby. Cindy crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. "You know how I feel about little miss_ 'I'm so beautiful and perfect'_. Why can't you three go find her without me?" she demanded.

"Well, because we might need somebody who can kick some butt. And because I know that deep down you wouldn't forgive yourself if something happened to her when you could have helped- _and_ because I know about that secret page you have in your _diary_..." said Libby.

Cindy's face immediately went red. "Y-you... you saw that?" she asked.

Libby nodded.

"Well what are we waiting for!? Goddard! To London!" Cindy announced. "It just so happens that we have reached our destination." said Goddard.

It was just getting dark as Goddard scanned the area for an appropriate place to land. Finally, he found a small parking lot- and landed it in a small space, next to a motorcycle. Finally, everybody climbed out of the rocket and took a few deep breaths. "Alright- remember where we parked, guys." said Libby.

"Um, it says 'Lord Fizzywiggie's Discount Parking'..." said Nick. "It does? Where?" asked Libby. Nick gestured to the billboard sized sign behind him. It depicted a man in a top hat and a monocle, and the words 'Lord Fizzywiggie's Discount Parking' printed in massive yellow letters across the top.

"Oh... well that's... convenient."

As Nick, Libby, Cindy and Goddard made their way past the rows of old looking cars, Goddard began to sniff the air. "I might be able to track her perfume..." he explained. Cindy coughed. "Oh- uh... You probably don't have to do that... W-what about your uh, scanner thing?" she asked.

"I have been experiencing some kind of odd feedback that has rendered the scanner unable to pinpoint a more exact location. However- Betty has been known to wear a special kind of perfume known as 'Pluto 76/J'- a rare kind of women's perfume only sold in Retroville's _'Girly Lovey Dove Store'__**"**_explained Goddard.

Nick shuddered. "Is there really store named..._ that_?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah. It's the best place in town to get all the hair accessories, and latest fashion designs for girls!" said Libby. "I got this swimsuit from there the other day, and-"

"Yes- it is indeed a truly _fearsome_ place..." Goddard interrupted. Libby rolled her eyes.

"W-well maybe there's some other way you could track her down... like... um..." Cindy frowned to herself as she tried to think. "Oh- I don't know...Do a scan for people turning into stupid drool monkeys. She'll be in the center of _that._" she said.

Goddard began to sniff the air again as he and the rest of the group continued to make their way down the sidewalk- blatantly ignoring Cindy. "Let's see... My sensors appear to picking up traces of the scent very close by... let's see... hmm..." Goddard continued to sniff the air, and suddenly turned to face Cindy. He took a few more sniffs, and barked.

"Miss Cindy tests positive for traces of the perfume." he said.

Cindy flinched as Nick and Libby raised their eyebrows. "Wh-what!? So sometimes, I might splash a little perfume on... It's not a crime!" she yelled. "Say, Goddard. Could you tell me what Jimmys favourite scent is?" asked Libby. Goddard nodded. "Why, Pluto 76/J of course." he said.

Goddard and Libby faced Cindy. "Your wrong! I mean- no! I, I... I have the right to a lawyer!" she yelled.

Ignoring her once again, Goddard continued the search on his bio-scanner. "Ah! I can detect other traces of the scent!" he announced.

"Really? Where?" asked Nick.

"Well... the scent appears to lead far into the sewers- before it finally dissipates." said Goddard.

Everybody except Goddard flinched. "Th-the_ sewers_?" asked Nick. Goddard nodded. "Oh, okay. Well- you guys have fun. I'll just be standing guard out here and-" said Nick, only to be interrupted when Libby grabbed him by the collar of his leather jacket. "C'mon, pretty boy. If we're goin' then your goin'." she said. Nick twitched. "B-but... It's so... gross..." he muttered.

Libby rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Goddard. Let's find the easiest way into the sewer." she said, dragging Nick along behind her. "Come on, Cindy. I don't want to have to threaten you with public humiliation again."

Cindy groaned, and followed behind her best friend. "Since when are you so gung-ho about the sewers?" she asked. Libby sighed. "Sheen once took me on a tour of the most disgusting things in Retroville. Needless to say- it takes a lot to gross me out anymore..." she muttered.

As Goddard, Cindy, Libby and Nick made their way down the streets of London, none of them noticed the cellphone/jetpack flying across the sky.

* * *

It hadn't taken very long to find a man hole cover and unseal it. What was taking time, however- was trying to get used to the smell. And no matter how tightly they gripped their shirts their noses- nobody but Goddard could move without gagging. As they shuffled down the dark, humid sewer tunnel- Goddard was using his eyes to light the way.

"Okay, I take back what I said before. I... I'm grossed out..." said Libby. Cindy and Nick nodded in unison, and tried not to look at the river of green sludge that was running along beside them. Or the black grime that seemed to be all over the cement they were walking on. Instead, they tried to hold their breath as best they could- only breathing in occasionally in a loud sputter. Finally, Goddard came to a stop- and the group followed suit.

"What's wrong, Goddard?" asked Libby.

"This is where the trail ends." said Goddard.

"What!? So we hiked across the valleys of _poo _for nothing!?" yelled Cindy. "Maybe not... Libby? Would you please pick up a handful of that green slime in the river?" asked Goddard.

Libby gave Goddard a look, and he sighed. "But why do I have to do it? It's all..._ germy_." said Goddard. This time, Nick and Cindy joined in on giving him a look. Goddard whined.

"Fine..." he grumbled, as he extended a long robotic hand out of his back, and into the river of green sludge. He pulled out a handful of it, and zoomed in on it with his eyes. "As I suspected... This is not fecal matter... it's... _algae_." said Goddard.

Suddenly, something began to move on the walls. Goddard whined. "Also... it appears that we are not alone." he said.

Algae-men began to drop from the ceiling and the walls, and rise out of the smelly green river. Libby, Nick, Cindy and Goddard grouped together.

They were trapped.

* * *

It was daybreak when a doctor finally approached Jimmy, Carl and Sheen in the waiting room. The doctor had told them in no uncertain terms to keep their questions low-key, and not to upset the patient. And while Carl and Sheen began to discuss what exactly 'low key' actually meant (Carl thought that it meant lowering their voices as much as possible, and Sheen thought that it involved a piano) Jimmy walked into the patients room and cleared his throat.

From what Jimmy had been told by Carl and Sheen, Jet Fusion had been one of his allies for at least two separate occasions. He was supposedly one of the most trustworthy people on the planet. Much more trustworthy than either of them were, Carl and Sheen pointed out.

So, Jimmy chose his words carefully.

"Hello, Mister Fusion." he said.

Jet was lying on the hospital bed with a big bandage wrapped around his head. Apparently, the jetpack had managed to break his jaw- so it had been wired shut. Jet could still speak, though. As Jimmy noticed when Jet slowly sat himself up. "Rr... Hey... Jimmy..." he mumbled. "I just had... a weird dream... where I..."

Jet noticed the handcuffs that had his wrist chained to the bed. He groaned. "Oh... not a dream, huh?" he mumbled. Jimmy nodded. "Correct. As far as I can tell- you might have been hypnotised again. My friends tell me that you've been susceptible to that before." said Jimmy. Jet nodded. "Uh-huh... urgh... what... happened to... my... jaw?" he asked.

Jimmy cleared his throat, and looked a little guilty. "Yeah, about that? I kinda... hit you with a rocket propelled cell phone. To, uh- you know... stop you..." he explained. If Jets mouth weren't screaming in agony- he would have smiled. "You make me feel old, kid..." he muttered.

"Do you remember anything about your investigation before your mind was compromised?" asked Jimmy. Jet frowned. "No... Itsh all... hay-shee." his speech was a little slurred, but Jimmy could understand what he said. "I see. Perhaps it would be best if I returned at a later time- when your mind is a little clearer." said Jimmy.

Jet frowned. "W-... wait... I have... some... thing..." he muttered. Jet felt around for his pocket- only to find that he was wearing a hospital gown. He saw his wallet sitting on the dresser next to the bed, and picked it up. As he began to rummage through its contents, the light began to pour into the room. And Jimmy got a clearer look at the super secret agent that had been his greatest hero before he had lost his memory.

Jet had strands of silver in his black hair. And his eyes betrayed a deep sense of fatigue. Then, Jimmy blinked. His skin... Jets skin... it was...

After finally finding the card he had been looking for- Jet noticed it too. "Hey... Jim... I'm... green?" he mumbled. His skin seemed to be going to darker shades of green by the minute. Jimmy could see black spots beginning to sprout all over his face. Jet laid himself back down. Jimmy glanced at the heart monitor.

It was starting to fluctuate wildly.

Jimmy felt his heart skip a beat. He was about to run out and find the doctor- when he heard a weak voice call out for him. Jimmy looked at Jet. He had his trembling arm stretched out, and he was holding something. Jimmy took the card out of Jets shaking hand.

'Always Ethical Industries.' It read in big bold letters.

Jet took a long, deep breath. "Go... to them... Jimmy..." he wheezed. "They're not... _ethical_..."

And with that, he fell unconscious. Jimmy raced out of the room, and got the doctor. The doctor came in and checked his vitals- and then turned to Jimmy and gave him a shrug. "Well- I have no idea what this is. Do you?" he asked. Jimmy frowned. If only he had his memory... Then, maybe-

"Oh, look! Jet's turning into one of those Algae-men thingies!" yelled Sheen.

"Oh no!" yelled Carl. "Maybe its that Doctor Moist guy who attack the school with that green stuff!"

Sheen nodded. "Yeah. Probably should've figured that out sooner, huh?" he asked.

Jimmy blinked. "You guys... know what this is?" he asked. Carl and Sheen nodded in unison. "Uh-huh. When we got sucked into the crazy guys big submarine, he tried to turn us into these big slimy green guys made of algae." said Carl.

"I see..." said Jimmy. "Is there a cure?"

"For what?" asked Sheen.

"For the algae thing!"

"Oh... Yeah- I think Doctor Moist had an antidote. He drank it between tap dancing routines." explained Sheen.

"Uh-huh. He was really good, too..." muttered Carl.

"Can you tell me anything about the antidote?" asked Jimmy. Carl and Sheen thought about this for a moment. "Um... It had a lemony twist... kinda..._ fizzy_..." Carl quickly trailed off.

Jimmy sighed. He glanced at the business card he still had in his hand. "Alright, guys... I think I know where we need to go next." he said.

"Alright, lets just have some breakfast back at the hotel, first..." said Carl. Jimmy and Sheen frowned at him. "What?" asked Carl. Sheen rolled his eyes. "Um, obviously we're going to get a breakfast burrito from_ here, _because it's faster and easier to travel with." explained Sheen.

"Oh... okay."

Jimmy rolled his eyes. Now, it was on to 'Always Ethical Industries'.

...

But first... maybe he would have one of those breakfast burritos...

* * *

Betty stared at the plate that had been placed in front of her. It was a giant pile of mushy green... mush. She could hear her stomach growl. She hadn't eaten in... well, it was hard to keep track of time- but she knew that it had been a while. She bit her bottom lip. Now she just had to figure out if she was hungry enough to eat... green... mush.

Evil Jimmy snorted, and rolled his eyes. "Don't even think about it, dollface. That stuffs full of unstable chemicals and radioactivity. You eat that- and you'll probably wind up looking like one of those green slimey guys. And that'd be shame, wouldn't it, doc?" he asked.

Betty frowned. "How do you know?" she asked. Evil Jimmy shrugged. "I may possess a few mutated genes or two that allow me to sense such things. What're you, a cop?" he asked. Betty rolled her eyes. "If you have_ powers, _then how come your stuck here with me?" she asked.

Evil Jimmy sighed. "I dunno. Maybe this mutant algae is counteracting it- maybe I'm still weak from this fight I got into a while back..." he shrugged. "Who knows. But hey, doc- maybe I can help you out a little."

"Oh, yeah? How?" asked Betty, with her arms folded across her chest. She frowned, and Evil Jimmy smiled. "I might be able to change the chemical composition in that food and make it something a little more..._ edible_." he suggested.

"Really? You think you have the power to change matter on the molecular level?" asked Betty.

Evil Jimmy nodded.

Betty sighed, and handed him the plate of green mush. "Here. Go nuts. Or- you know, even more nuts." she muttered. Evil Jimmy smiled, and put his hand over the food. He grit his teeth, and started to concentrate. Slowly, a small cloud of black smoke began to leak out of his hand. The smoke bended and twisted around, until it finally settled on the plate of green mush.

Evil Jimmy felt a familiar burst of pain somewhere in his skull. He ignored it, and closed his eyes.

The pain started to make him sweat. He growled. He was almost done... just... one... little... touch...

Finally, he opened his eyes- and the smoke dissipated. He let out another low growl. "I... shouldn't have done that..." he hissed to himself. Betty's jaw fell agape. There- sitting in place of the green mush from before- was a steaming pile of mashed potatoes and gravy. She looked at Evil Jimmy, who flashed her a weak smile.

"Go ahead." he grumbled.

Slowly, Betty picked up a small piece of the potato with her fingers, and put it in her mouth.

It was mashed potato all right.

"Wha... how... how!?" Betty demanded. Evil Jimmy yawned and shrugged. "Oh, you know- rearranging a few bits and pieces, deleting some, enhancing others." he grumbled.

"Bu... but..."

Evil Jimmy rolled his eyes. "You'd beleive it if I stuck it into some machine, right? I just used some of my own abilities instead." he explained. "Now- if you'll excuse me, dollface. I am plum tuckered out. I think I'll take a nap."

Before Betty could say anything else- Evil Jimmy was already fast asleep. And muttering things about world domination under his breath. Betty glanced at the plate of mashed potatoes, and took a deep breath. She decided to take the risk- and slowly ate her dinner with her hands. She frowned. There had been a spoon in the bowl too. Had he... turned that into... potato... as well?

She glanced at Evil Jimmy's sleeping form.

'Just what kind of creature _is_ he?' she wondered to herself.

* * *

Always Ethical Industries stood as a modest enough looking building close to the centre of the city. There was a big sign near the entrance that read 'Always Ethical Industries' along with a bunch of smiling faces, and quotes from people talking about how ethical it was inside.

On the very top floor, was the office for the boss of the whole operation. He didn't like talking to the employees- or seeing there faces at all for that matter. So the entire floor was sectioned off- just for him. The Boss liked his alone time. So every second he got without some employee complaining about the coffee machine being broken, or another employer asking about where the first guy had suddenly disappeared to- was nothing short of pure bliss.

He really had to hire a better secretary he told himself. And he also really needed to get the coffee machine fixed. So many of the employees had come to his office to complain about it- and mysteriously 'disappeared' as a result- that he was starting to run low on employees.

He couldn't have that. He would need as much man power as he could get in case Dr Moist's idea actually worked. The Boss frowned. That Doctor Moist... the Boss had thought that he had met the craziest mad scientist in the world already. But Dr Moist was certainly quick to prove him wrong on that.

The Boss sighed, and double checked to make sure failsafe was ready. If Dr Moist betrayed him, as the Boss was sure he would- he would need that failsafe on hand before things went south.

Suddenly, the phone on his desk began to ring obnoxiously. The Boss growled, and picked up the receiver. "Boss? The algae men appear to have picked up a few of boys friends- as well as the dog. Orders?" came a serious sounding voice from the other end of the line.

"Throw the brats in with that Betty girl. Oh- and you can give Dr Moist the dog. Maybe it'll shut 'im up for a while." said the Boss.

"Understood."

The Boss hung up the receiver, and pressed a few buttons on his computer. He turned on the secret camera he had installed in the jail cell. It looked like the girl named 'Betty' and the weird-looking boy had taken to sitting in silence. The Boss huffed. How _boring._ Hopefully throwing the loudmouthed girl in there with them would make for a nice little show.

The Boss rubbed his hands together and smiled. He couldn't wait... Suddenly, the Boss noticed a small blinking icon on his screen. He frowned, and clicked on it.

It was an email. The people he had working underground had completed their full scan on the weird-looking boys DNA. The Boss frowned. The weird-looking boys DNA was a complete match for Jimmy Neutrons. More than that, though... every scan and every analysis said that his DNA was completely saturated with dark matter. It looked almost as if they were... fused together.

The Boss reached for his sippy cup, and took a long drink of milk.

This was impossible.

This was amazing.

This was...

The Boss began to tremble, as he read through the DNA findings over and over again.

This was... _scary_.

* * *

Goddard watched helplessly, as Cindy, Libby and Nick were taken away. Goddard had been almost completely incapacitated already by the massive algae men. They had him trapped in a ball of algae from which he couldn't move even the slightest bit. He growled, as he was rolled away from his masters friends- and into a cold grey room.

Goddard gulped. The room looked like an operating table. And in Goddards experience- that was never a good thing.

After being put on the table, and then duct taped in place to keep the ball of algae he was trapped in from rolling around, Doctor Sydney Moist entered the room looking tired, crazy and above all... green. Doctor Moist grinned as he examined Goddard. "Oh-ho! I had heard that Mister Neutron had built an impressive little robot- but I had no idea that it was made out of _algae_." he said. One of the algae men ducked down and whispered into Dr Moist's ear.

"Oh? Just so he won't move, eh? Very clever. Now I think I'll just conk 'im out..." Dr Moist muttered to himself, before picking up a rather nasty looking taser. Before Goddard could so much as make a noise- Dr Moist stuck the taser on the only part of Goddards body that wasn't encased in algae- his nose. Electricity burst through Goddard's entire body.

His eyes slowly faded to black. Dr Moist cackled. "Ah-ha! Excellent! Now begins my favourite part- dissection! But first-" he said, before breaking into a small tap dance routine. After that was done, and he finished bowing to his imaginary audience, he got to work disassembling Goddard.

It didn't take long for Dr Moist to come across something... interesting.

Dr Moist cackled to himself. "Oh, yes! Yes! Very interesting... _INDEED_!" he bellowed, as he tap danced his way over to the final piece of his plan. By this time tomorrow- he was going to be the ruler of the entire world.

He smiled to himself.

That was going to be_ fun_.

* * *

_To be continued..._

* * *

**(AN**:_ Well- I've already written the next chapter, and you can expect that in the next few days. Another big thank you to the people who have been kind enough to leave reviews for me. Until next time!)_


	18. Chapter 17

_Chapter Seventeen: Jimmy Neutron and the Always Ethical Infiltration_

"Ah... It's morning time in London. Here we stand- three friends in the middle of one of the busiest city's I've ever been too. Not including New York and Tokyo, of course. Man- those places were off the charts!" said Sheen, as he finished the last bites of his breakfast burrito. Carl had taken two- and had also decided to eat them at the same time. This made the people walking by gag and occasionally scream- but it was nothing new to Sheen. Jimmy on the other hand, had to do his best to ignore it.

They had finally finished eating by the time they made it to Always Ethical Industries.

Jimmy rang the buzzer, and cleared his throat. "So... you've been to New York and Tokyo, Sheen?" he asked. Sheen nodded. "Yeah. You and Carl were there too- weren't you, Carl?" asked Sheen. Carl nodded. "Uh-huh. We went to New York to buy pizza, and we went to Tokyo when Jimmy accidentally teleported that giant dinosaur in the middle of the city..." said Carl.

Sheen laughed. "Oh, yeah- Hey! Wait a minute, that was _your _fault, not Jimmy's!" he yelled. Carl looked a little ashamed with himself. "What happened after that? How... How did we manage to put things back to normal?" asked Jimmy. "We _did_ put everything back to normal- didn't we?"

Carl snorted. "Oh, yeah. We just pushed the monster through that time hole thingy you made. That always works." he said. Sheen nodded. "Uh-huh. Then we just reversed the rubble with that quantum replay thingie... Which remind me, can I-"

"No."

"Aw, what!? You don't even know what I was about to say."

"I'm lot lending you... whatever that thing you said is."

Sheen pouted. Suddenly, the boys realized that somebody had opened the door- and had been standing there patiently for almost the entire time. Jimmy cleared his throat. "Yes, hello. We're uh... the new... janitors." he said.

The man at the door blinked. "Really? Aren't you too young to be cleaning people?" the man asked with an air of pompousness. Carl cleared his throat. "Ain't you just a bally twat?" he asked. The man at the door frowned.

"Excuse me, sir?" he asked.

Carl snorted. "You 'eard me you ill-mannered wittle so an' so. Why- I outta give your mum a call just for that!" he announced. The mans eyes widened at that prospect. "Oh- no! Please! Go right on in! I believe you!" he yelled, before running away as fast as his legs could take him.

"Wow, Carl!" said Sheen. "That was cool! Where did you learn that?" he asked. "Um, you know the angry janitor at school who keeps on yelling at people to get out of the way?" asked Carl.

Sheen nodded.

"Well, I just thought that if I wanted him to believe us- then I should just act like him." explained Carl.

"Ooh! That's genius, Carl! Let me try it. Um... uh... ESTEVEZ! STOP MAKING SNOW MEN OUT OF THE CAFETERIA FOOD!" Sheen screamed at the top of his lungs. Carl covered his ear for a moment, and then gave Sheen the thumbs up.

Jimmy cleared his throat. "Uh... guys?" he asked.

"Oh, right! Sorry Jimmy. Lead on!" yelled Sheen.

* * *

"Wow- these fancy janitor clothes are awesome!" yelled Sheen. Jimmy rolled his eyes. "Sheen, those clothes are about ten sizes too big for you." he said. "Aw- but this is the smallest pair I found!" said Sheen.

Jimmy frowned. It had taken them almost an hour to find the utility closet- and another twenty minutes or so of rummaging through the various bottles of chemicals and cleaning supplies, until they finally uncovered a pile of old blue coveralls. Unfortunately- it looked as though they had been made for giant people- and not for two thirteen year old boys- and one fifteen year old. "We're going to need these disguises if we're going to properly infiltrate this organisation. Do either of you know how to sew?" asked Jimmy.

Carl and Sheen nodded.

"Pukin' plutonium... What're we going to-" Jimmy stopped himself mid-sentance. "Wait... you guys know how to sew?" he asked. Carl and Sheen nodded again.

"Uh... how?" asked Jimmy.

Sheen shrugged. "Aw- I dunno. Years of repairing my old Ultralord costume, I geuss. My mom used to do it when I was a kid- but, uh...- and Grandma's hands won't stop shakin'." he explained. "Yeah, and Princess Frensceska-Llama's head keeps on falling off..." said Carl.

"Oh... well, then. Do you two think you could re-size these over-alls to fit us?" asked Jimmy. Carl and Sheen shrugged. "Sure." they said in unison.

Silence fell between the three of them.

"Do you... uh... wanna get started?" asked Jimmy.

"Oh, sure! C'mon, Carl. You find some scissors and I'll find a needle." said Sheen. "Oh, I have a needle. I keep one in my back pocket sewing kit." said Carl. "Oh- really? Hey... why do you have a back pocket sewing kit?" asked Sheen.

Carl blushed. "Um, well- sometimes I might bend over for something, a-and... my pants'll rip a little bit. So I have to take 'em off and do some standing repairs..." he explained.

"Oooh, So that's why you always take your pants off in public? I just thought you were some kind of _deviant_." said Sheen.

Jimmy cleared his throat. "Um, guys? We really don't have all day." he said.

"Oh, right. Sorry- Jimmy. Let me just... take your measurements..." Carl muttered, as he pulled out a long measuring tape from his back pocket. After a spending some time being measured, and watching Carl and Sheen narrowly escape cutting themselves on several occasions while they worked on the coveralls.

Finally, Jimmy, Sheen and Carl were walking down the hallway- carrying mops and buckets, and wearing their new form-fitting cover alls. "Hey, check it out- Jimmy! I wrote 'Ultra-Sheen' on my pocket." said Sheen. "Yes, I can see that- Sheen." said Jimmy.

"Oh, oh! Jimmy! I wrote _'Llama Carl'_, see?" asked Carl. Jimmy nodded. "Uh-huh. I can see that, Carl. Now- tell me again, why does mine say _'Vortex Lover_'?" asked Jimmy. Carl and Sheen giggled to themselves. "Oh, uh.. no reason, dude." said Sheen. "Yeah, Jimmy... Don't, uh... don't..." Carl tried to continue speaking, only to collapse in a fit of laughter.

"Let's just... get to work..." Jimmy grumbled.

"Okay, Jimmy. So what should we do? Look for giant metal doors with the words 'Top Secret' splattered all over 'em, or an arrow that says 'This way to secret underground lab' or-... or... huh... I can't think of any other examples..." said Sheen.

"No- we're just going to have to visit every room in the building- pretend to clean, and gather intel." said Jimmy. "What? But I don't know how to gather... uh... _intel._ What does it look like?" asked Carl. "Intel is just data, Carl. You know... information." explained Jimmy. "Oh, okay. We look for 'information' about this place- and try to look around for why Jet was investigating this place? I-Is that it?" asked Carl.

Jimmy nodded.

"So, does that mean we should _ignore_ that door that has the words 'top secret' on it?" asked Carl.

"I knew it!" yelled Sheen.

Jimmy approached the door and frowned. "It appears to be equipped with a high level of security- coupled with both a key card and password system..." he mused. Carl scratched the back of his head. "Should we try blowing it up or something?" he asked. "Now you're talking!" yelled Sheen.

"No, that would cause too much commotion." said Jimmy.

Sheen looked disappointed.

"However... Carl, Sheen- do you guys still have some of those cellphones that we received from Cue?" asked Jimmy. Carl and Sheen searched their back pockets, and pulled out a handful of cellphones. "What're you going to do with 'em, Jim?" asked Carl. "Well, by breaking them open and wiring a few of these together- and then wiring it to the keypad here..." Jimmy muttered, as he began taking the cellphones apart. "I might be able to break in through the security fire walls and open this door." he explained.

"Oh... cool." said Carl.

Jimmy got to work, quickly managing to cobble together a small mass of wires with a small keypad and screen in the middle. Then, he carefully stuck a few wires into the keycard slot. As Jimmy began to tap furiously on the small cellphone keypad, Carl and Sheen waited in silence.

Finally, there was a loud beep- and the door swung open. Jimmy carefully collected the mass of wires and computer chips that used to be three cellphones, and gave the spares back to Carl and Sheen. "Alright, come on guys. Remember- if we get caught, just pretend we're janitors. And if they ask why we're in a top-secret facility... blame the new guy." said Jimmy.

"The new guy? How do you know there'll even _be_ a new guy?" asked Sheen.

"There's always a new guy."

Carl and Sheen shrugged and nodded. And then followed Jimmy into the top secret room of 'Always Ethical Industries'. Once they entered, and turned on the light- Sheen let out a big sigh of disappointment.

He had expected a massive bottomless chasm, with a bridge in the middle with a giant super computer on it. And the walls would be lined with tubes, all filled with weird and insane creatures and things. Instead, what he got as a plain white room with an elevator in it.

"Aw man! Bummer!" yelled Sheen.

"Belay that '_bummer'_, Sheen. Maybe we need to go down the elevator to find the secret room." suggested Jimmy. As the three of them climbed into the elevator, Sheen let out another groan.

"I hope so..."

* * *

Cindy, Libby and Nick were thrown onto the floor of the cell with a loud '_splat!_'. Cindy grit her teeth. She was completely covered in the disgusting green goo. She had to resist the urge to yell as she slowly wiped the slime off of her face. "So... disgusting..." she grumbled to herself. Libby was having the same reaction, while Nick was muttering things to himself that would make a sailor blush.

After successfully removing a good portion of the slime from her body and her hair- Cindy observed her surroundings. They were in a big, dark jail cell. It felt humid and damp. None of that was having a particularly positive affect on her mood. The only way it could get worse would be if-...

She frowned. Betty Quinlin stared back at her. The two fell into an awkward silence. Cindy noticed the the chain extending from the wall to the metal bracelet around Betty's ankle. Luckily, Nick broke the tension. "Woah- Betty! You're here!" he yelled. Nick slowly stood himself up- being careful not to slip around on the slime- and made his way over to Betty.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Betty smiled and nodded. "Uh-huh. What're you doing here, Nick?" she asked. "Well, I'm here to rescue _you_ of course." said Nick. Betty raised an eyebrow, and shot a glance at the rest of the group. 'Where is... Jimmy?' she thought to herself. She thought about voicing that question- but she knew what kind of face Nick would make at that. Not to mention Cindy's responce- which would most likely be loud and silly.

Unfortunately, Cindy noticed Betty's eyes wander, and figured out the rest on her own. "Neutron isn't here. He's probably off gallivanting about somewhere in outer space or something..." she grumbled. Nick frowned, and nodded. "Yeah... he disappeared before I could get him to help- luckily the dog had..." Nick trailed off. "Wait a minute... where's the dog?" he asked.

Cindy and Libby looked around- but there was no sign of Goddard.

"We must of gotten separated..." muttered Libby. She frowned. "Betty- do you know what this place is?" asked Libby. Betty shook her head. "No... I don't even know how long I've been here... It's kinda hard to keep track of the time..." she muttered. Libby nodded- and then noticed the sleeping form in the corner of the cell.

"Hey... is that... Jimmy? What'd he do to his_ hair_?" asked Libby. Nick followed Libby's gaze to the corner, and frowned. "Oh, no... It's Neutrons stupid evil clone..." grumbled Nick.

Evil Jimmy opened his eyes just a fraction, and frowned. "Who invited the cowardly moron, the annoying blonde girl and Libby?" he growled. Cindy and Nick shot Evil Jimmy an angry look, and Libby raised an eyebrow. "Uh... why am I the only one you called by name?" she asked.

Evil Jimmy shrugged. "I dunno. I like you." he said. Libby looked disturbed, while Evil Jimmy gave Betty a glance. "But not as much as I like _you_, dollface." he said with a wink. Betty rolled her eyes.

Ignoring the odd looks she was receiving from Libby, Cindy and Nick- Betty cleared her throat. "So... do any of you have a cell phone or something we can use to call for help?" she asked. Cindy shook her head. "No... I left mine at home..." she mumbled. Nick felt his pockets, and sighed. "I don't own one..." he said. Betty frowned, and was about to ask why he had bothered to check- when Libby interrupted.

"Oh! I have mine!" she yelled.

"Not so_ loud_, Libby!" hissed Cindy.

"Oh... sorry. It doesn't look like I'm getting any signal here though..." said Libby. Evil Jimmy let out a long, tired yawn. "All right- give it to me. I'll tinker with it..." he mumbled. Nick frowned. "Hey, dude- if you need to go that badly, go in the corner or something..." he said.

Evil Jimmy rolled his eyes. "What're you, Captain Punchline all of a sudden? Listen, doc. I should be able to give the phone a signal boost if I just move some things around- and program it to my satellite." he said.

"_You_ have a_ satellight_?" asked Cindy.

Evil Jimmy shrugged. "What? You don't?" he asked with a cocky grin. "How_ quaint_." Evil Jimmys smile grew larger when he noticed the rage that was beginning to burn in Cindy's eyes. He resisted the urge to add fuel to the fire, and focused his attention on Libby. "What do you say, sweetcheeks?" he asked. Libby rolled her eyes. "Never call me 'sweetcheeks' again, and you've got yourself a deal." she muttered, as she handed the phone over to Evil Jimmy. Evil Jimmy smiled, and winked at her. "Oh, I promise, doc." he said.

With that, he set to work.

As he opened the cellphone, Betty shifted herself a little closer to him. "Hey... why don't you use those... uh... _powers_ of yours to escape?" she asked. Evil Jimmy didn't remove his eyes from the phone as he responded. "Because if I tried that- I would probably _die_." he muttered. "That sort of thing takes a lot of juice."

Betty frowned. "Really..." she muttered.

"Yeah, really."

Betty noticed that the others were still looking at her with the same curious look from before, so she backed away from Evil Jimmy and put her hands in her lap. "Um... W-where have you two been for the past... uh... nine or ten days?" she asked.

Libby raised an eyebrow. It was obvious to her that Betty was trying to change the subject before it came up. Libby sighed, and decided to go with it. "Well, we went to an alien planet to see if they could help Jimmy with his brain problem." explained Libby. "There was kidnapping, gangsters, an army of alien soldiers... you know- the basics."

Betty nodded. "I see..." she muttered, shooting a glance at Cindy. Cindy seemed to have retreated to one of the corners, and was sitting down with her legs crossed, and her eyes closed. "Did, uh... something happen between her and..." Betty trailed off, knowing full well that Libby would know what she meant.

Libby sighed. "Yeah... She's gotten even angrier with Jimmy recently..." she muttered. "I don't know what's up- but I think they had a big fight a while ago. They've been avoiding each other but... Cindy's still trying to get his attention..." said Libby.

Betty sighed. "I see... Um, did Jimmy manage to get help from the aliens?" she asked. Libby shook her head sadly. "No... I don't think so. August said that the virus was out of his system but... well- I don't know if I believe that. It made Jimmy act really weird... Made him... _scary_." Libby shuddered as she remembered his eyes, and his voice... that feeling of power that seemed to be flowing out of him... She took a deep breath, and continued. "And then- he fell asleep. For over a week. We were waiting for him to wake up- and just when we were about to give up... He woke up. But... he lost his memory." said Libby.

"I haven't really talked to him since then... Cindy was a little..." she trailed off. She looked at her best friend, and then turned to face Betty. Libby knew that Cindy would probably never forgive her for saying this to her so-called 'mortal enemy' but she needed to get it off her chest. She but her bottom lip, and whispered. "Cold... she was really... I mean, when Jimmy woke up- she acted like she didn't even care. And not the bad acting she usually does. She just... she really seemed like she didn't care at all..." whispered Libby.

"That's not true, Libby." said Betty. "You know better than I do... how she feels about him..."

Libby nodded, and frowned. "I... I guess..." she muttered. "But... after that, I got to thinking... that maybe... maybe she finally gave up on him... That's the way it seemed when he fell asleep, anyway... and..." she sighed. "I really hope that's not the case..."

Betty sighed. She felt a wave of guilt wash over her. She looked at Libby, and decided to say something she had never said out loud before. "I... really like Jimmy." she said.

Libby's eye widened. "Wha-... really?" she sputtered. "I... I didn't... Wait... I mean... Your always nice to him... I see you approach him all the time... and you always seem sincere and all but I... well..." she trailed off, and put her hand on her face. "Ugh... How did I not..." she grumbled.

Betty smiled weakly. "Listen, Libby. I like Jimmy. To be honest- I wouldn't mind if Cindy decided to give up on him. But... that's never going to happen. She's too stubborn. Even if she trys- it'll never stick. And I know that Jimmy's the same. They've had their eyes on each other for as long as I've known them." she explained.

"Huh... you've really thought about this, haven't you?" asked Libby.

Betty nodded, sadly. "Uh-huh... Those two need to stop goofing off and work it out. I know they're meant to be..." she said. "Or, maybe I just watch too many soap operas..."

Libby smiled. "You really are a pretty decent person, Betty." she mused.

Suddenly, Betty had an idea. She grinned to herself. "Say, Libby... you are the creator of the Neutron betting pool, aren't you?" she asked. Libby checked her nails. "I assure you that I have no involvement in any gambling activities." she said with a well rehearsed straight face.

"What would you say if I told you that I know who created the _other_ betting pool. The_ Sheen _betting pool. Would that interest you?" she asked.

Libby stopped looking at her nails and trying to appear aloof, and Betty a look. "It... might." she said.

Betty smiled, and pointed a finger at herself. Libby twitched. "Wha-... _you_? Your the one behind it?" she gasped. Betty nodded. "Uh-huh. I got the idea from you, actually. It's been going well." she said. Libby frowned. "So... your my mysterious rival..." she muttered to herself.

"As you may know- One of the longest standing bets I have, is the Sheen Estevez and Libby Folfax bet. It's been running cold recently- but I seem to recall, about a year ago... some mysterious person put a hundred dollars, on the two of you getting together eventually. Under the name, 'GreyStar Fan'." explained Betty.

Libby twitched again, and this time started to look visibly nervous.

"But a few weeks ago, this mysterious person decided to withdraw their bet. Do you have any idea who this mysterious person could be? And more than that- what do you think happened to make this person decide to withdraw?" asked Betty.

Libby sighed. "How did you find out it was me?" she asked.

Betty shrugged. "You asked me to have the money sent to your home address. It wasn't that hard." she said. Libby groaned. "Look... We had a falling out, okay? We decided to just be friends. Besides- it's not like it mattered to him very much anyway..." she grumbled. "I mean, he just disappeared afterwards... for like, a _month_. And then he comes back with a talking monkey and acts like everything's fine..."

Betty chuckled to herself, and sighed. "Maybe you understand how Cindy feels better than you think, Libby." said Betty. Libby frowned. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, think of it this way. Your angry at Sheen for making you worry about him, right?" asked Betty.

"Yeah, but... oh..." muttered Libby. "I'm almost as big an idiot as he is..." she mumbled to herself. Betty smiled. "Don't worry about it, Libby. Sometimes, when you care about somebody a lot- It can make it a little harder to see the obvious. Now, go talk to Cindy. Oh- and Libby?" asked Betty.

"Yeah."

"You should talk to Sheen, too. I walk through the park every day- and I can almost always hear Sheen singing somewhere about how much he misses you. I think he's been writing the same apology letter for months now." said Betty.

Libby felt an unwanted rush of warmth in her cheeks, and quickly turned around to hide it. "That... idiot..." she muttered to herself, as she made her way over to her best friend.

Betty sighed as she watched Libby approach Cindy. Libby and Sheen were going to be fine. And Jimmy and Cindy probably were, too. So... what about her?

Nick and Evil Jimmy glanced at her, and then at each other. They frowned. Unbeknownst to Betty, a major rivalry had just formed.

* * *

"Now this is more like it!" yelled Sheen.

The underground lab was enormous. And it was obvious why they had to take a top-secret elevator just to find it. The walls seemed to be paved with gold. And there were two massive cylinders that seemed to be sparking with intense amounts of electricity at every moment. They took up the majority of the space, and seemed to be glowing with power. But that wasn't the impressive part. The impressive part came when they walked past the giant cylinders, and onto the balcony- which looked out into a massive chasm. It was too dark to see the bottom, so Sheen carefully pulled out a coin and let it fall.

Sheen held out an ear- but couldn't hear it hit the ground. "Ha! A bottomless chasm! I knew it!" he announced. Jimmy ignored him. His attention was focused on the walls. They were covered with thousands upon thousands of silver tubes. And- unless his eyes were playing tricks on him- they were all filled with... people. More than that- they were all filled with multiple copies of the _same_ person.

Jimmy gasped. "They're... they're..."

"Clones."

The boys jumped. They turned around, slowly. To find themselves standing in front of Doctor Moist. Carl and Sheen gulped nervously, and quickly took a few steps behind Jimmy. "Who are you?" he asked.

Dr Moist grinned. "I, am Doctor something _Moist_, at your service." he said with a bow. "I have a first name too, but my mother always told me _never_ to give my first name to janitors._ Cursed woman_... Anyway! I am glad to see you!" he bellowed.

Carl peeked out from behind Jimmy. "Y-... You are?" he asked. Dr Moist nodded happily. "But of course! One of my algae men made quite a mess in the secret bathrooms." he explained. The trio shared a collective shudder.

"And what do you expect us to do about it?" asked Sheen. "Why- clean it of course! You _janitors_ are you not!?" asked Dr Moist. Jimmy coughed nervously and nodded. "Uh-huh. That's us alright. Just, uh... lead the way- sir!" he said.

"Excellent... _excellent..._" Dr Moist mumbled. Dr Moist showed the boys to a set of solid gold stairs. "Alright, just walk past the hallway of infinite mystery, take a left at the plutonium reserve, and you'll be right there! Its the place that is caked in... _algae_." he explained.

Carl and Sheen sighed. "This is a _lousy_ adventure..." Sheen muttered under his breath.

"Um, before we go- just out of curiosity... those, uh- clones. Who are they?" asked Jimmy. Dr Moist shrugged. "They are clones of the owner of this place. He's quite the_ vain _little guy..." he mused. "Say- did I show you my happy dance? Ra-ta-da-ta-ta!"

"Yep- That sure is an exquisite happy dance. I'll just, uh- be going now." said Jimmy as he made his way down the stairs to join his friends. Leaving Dr Moist to do his happy dance until he forgot what he was doing, and went on to finish his master plans.

"What do we do now, Jimmy?" asked Sheen. "If I wanted to clean up a bunch of green slime I would've stayed home!"

"It's okay, Sheen. We'll just take this opportunity to look for any clues as to what this is all about... Dr Moist mentioned Algae-men... is he the one responsible for Jet Fusions current condition?" asked Jimmy.

Carl nodded. "Uh-huh. Probably." he said.

"Hey, you guys- did that Dr Moist guy seem a little... I dunno... _green_ to you?" asked Sheen. Carl nodded. "Yeah... I was trying to remember if he was that green the first time we met him. But... I don't really remember..." muttered Carl.

Jimmy frowned. "He is clearly suffering from the same affliction as Jet Fusion... but didn't you two say that he had a cure?" asked Jimmy.

"Yeah... I wonder why he's all gross looking now..." said Sheen.

As the boys wondered about that- they finally arrived at what Dr Moist had referred to as 'the hallway of infinite mystery'. It was a hallway alright- although it didn't seem quite as infinitely mysterious as Dr Moist had led them to believe. In fact- it was actually rather dull.

The floors were made out of linoleum, with pictures on it that were supposed to resemble bathroom tiles. And the walls were a dull shade of yellow, with crayon marks all over it. There was a line of mysterious looking brown doors- but that was it. Sheen sighed. "How come there aren't any really awesome visuals in this adventure?" he asked.

"I dunno... I thought the big hole with the tubes in it looked pretty cool..." muttered Carl. Sheen rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. That was completely... uh... um..." Sheen struggled for a while to find the right word. "_Boring_... I mean- its just a hole with a bunch of tubes in it. Kinda stupid if you ask-"

Sheen was interrupted when Jimmy stopped dead in his tracks. "Alright, guys. Which door do you think we should go into to look for the antidote so we can cure Jet?" he asked. Carl and Sheen considered this for a moment.

"Um- I know! The one with the letter three in it!" yelled Sheen.

"Three is a _number, _Sheen! I pick zero!" yelled Carl.

Jimmy nodded. The only other doors left were ones marked with a six, and a seven. He took a deep breath. "Lets start with zero and work from there." said Jimmy.

"Aw, man!" yelled Sheen.

"Yes!" muttered Carl, before giving Sheen his most victorious look. Sheen scowled.

They walked through door number zero, and turned on the light. The room was small, and bare. Except for a small table, and a tiny white computer sitting on top of it. Sheen, Jimmy and Carl glanced at each other- and approached the computer slowly. Jimmy pressed the small green button just underneath the monitor- and the computer whirred to life.

The screen flickered, and turned on. The screen was black- and words began to scrawl across it in white. Jimmy frowned.

'For entire plan for world domination in complete detail, press Enter.' it read.

Jimmy sighed. He slowly rose his finger over the button, and after another glance at Carl and Sheen, Jimmy pressed the button. Suddenly, the screen went dark again.

"Hey, now... I don't believe you were instructed to come here..." grumbled a familiar voice from behind them. The boys turned around- only to find nothing there. Just the closed-door.

Suddenly, a pool of green slime began to pour out from underneath the door. The slime kept coming and coming, until the floor was almost completely covered in it. Then the slime began to twist, and curl around. Slowly, it rose up- as if there were a giant bubble rising out of the middle. It slowly took the shape of a man.

"I suppose mother was right... never trust _janitors_..." the man shaped slime hissed. The trio gulped, as the slime finally settled into the form of Dr Moist. "Hello there, janitors! You have walked right into my... my..." Dr Moist frowned, and thought for a moment. "It's sort of like a _trap_, but more diabolical..." he mumbled.

Jimmy cleared his throat. "A trap?" he suggested.

"Yes! A trap! But more than that- I happen to know your little secret, _janitors!_" he spat. Carl gulped. "You know about my secret picture of Jimmy's mom?" he asked. Jimmy and Sheen gave him a look.

"No! I know that _one _of you... is _Jimmy Neutron_. Secret spy for the BTSO." he said.

"Oh..." said Carl. "So you _don't_ know about my secret picture of Jimmys-"

"Silence! I am here to capture Jimmy Neutron and interrogate him! Not to listen to stories about photographs! Although..." Dr Moist trailed off and thought for a moment. "Maybe some other time..." he muttered. "Anyway- COME WITH ME, JIMMY NEUTRON!" he bellowed. Suddenly, his arm stretched out and grabbed Sheen by the throat. His arm seemed to turn into green slime, as it wrestled with Sheens flailing body.

"And you two unimportant ones can do to the dungeon." he said. All of a sudden, the floor disappeared from underneath Jimmy and Carl's feet- and they were sent falling down an elaborate array of tubes.

Dr Moist drew Sheen closer to him. "You and I are gunna have a _chat- _Jimmy Neutron!" he hissed. Sheen gasped for air, as he tried to calmly explain that Dr Moist had made a small mistake- but it was no use. Finally, he gave up- and let his consciousness slip away.

* * *

Cindy frowned. "I'm not angry at that pathetic excuse for a stupid science geek. Not in the least." she explained, as Libby put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Then why haven't you been talking to him? Why did you want to just leave him on planet Gorlock? And why did I see all of those Neutron punching bags with the stuffing literally beaten out of them- all bunched up together in the trashcan?" asked Libby.

"You've been going through my trash?" asked Cindy.

Libby rolled her eyes. "The lid can't even fit over that pile of beaten up Jimmy Neutrons. Now tell me- why haven't you talked to him? Why aren't you two_ dating_?" she asked. Cindy huffed. "It doesn't matter, Libby. Okay? That phase of my life is over. From now on- I couldn't care less what happens to that stupid show off. Okay?" she asked.

Libby sighed. "Do you really mean that, Cindy? Do you really think... you'd be _happy_, if Jimmy just disappeared out of your life forever?" she asked.

Cindy frowned. If she was honest with herself- she really didn't know. But she had already made up her mind. And she wasn't about to change it. She knew that she would get over him soon enough. And Jimmy would probably be happier off having adventures in outer space instead of being with her at the Candy Bar- not that she would _like_ that of course. She bit her lip, and took a deep breath.

"I-"

All of a sudden, there was a low rumbling. And then, something shot out of the ceiling- landing directly on top of Cindy. It knocked the wind out of her, and sent her crashing into the ground. "Ow! What the-" she hissed, as she pushed the heavy thing off of her chest. She was about to say something else- but her breath got caught in her throat.

It was Jimmy. He looked dazed, and more than a little confused- as he slowly stood himself up. "Oh. Cindy... Sorry about that. Here, let me help you up..." he said, offering her his hand.

Her hand seemed to act against her better judgement, as it quickly snatched his hand. Cindy tried to speak- but she couldn't seem to find words. Jimmy helped her up to her feet. "Hey... Cindy? Are you okay?" he asked. Cindy nodded dumbly, and Libby rolled her eyes.

"Woah- what happened? Is that you-" Nick was interrupted, when another, slightly heavier thing fell from the ceiling- and landed directly on top of him. Carl rolled off of Nick, and stood himself up. Nick let out a low, pain filled groan. Betty stood up and helped him to his feet, while Evil Jimmy cackled to himself in the background.

"My scapula... Oh, hey Betty! We're here to rescue you." said Carl with a friendly wave. Betty smiled weakly. "Hello, Carl. I appreciate it." she said. Carl looked around. "Oh, no... we're in a cell? I don't_ like _cells..." he mumbled.

Jimmy cleared his throat. "So, Nick- was it? I assume you, Cindy and Libby attempted to track Betty Quinlin and ended up here?" he asked. Nick shrugged. "Yeah, that's about it. Your dog helped." he said. Jimmy nodded. "You must be..." he trailed off, when he noticed Betty Quinlin.

All of a sudden, it felt like his brain had completely shut down, and he could barely keep his mouth from gaping- let alone form a complete sentence. He quickly tried to shake it off, and cleared his throat. "Well, miss pretty- you sure are very Quinlin!" he announced. Everybody went silent, as Jimmy quickly buried his face in his hands.

"Um... sorry..." he mumbled.

"Aw- come on, Whippy-dip! Show a little backbone here!" yelled Evil Jimmy. Jimmy stopped wallowing in self-hatred for a second to spare him a glance. "Who're you?" he asked.

"James. James Negatron. Friends call me Jimmy. Or they just scream." said Evil Jimmy. "I see... are you... a relative of some kind?" asked Jimmy. Carl shook his head and nudged his friend on the shoulder. "Nuh-uh, I think that's the evil clone of you, Jimmy." he said.

Jimmy frowned. "I see... an evil clone, huh?" he asked.

Evil Jimmy nodded with a smirk. "Yes-sir-ee. A little more creative than the standard evil '_twin_' don't ya think?" he asked. Jimmy frowned. "What is an evil clone of myself doing in here?" asked Jimmy. Evil Jimmy shrugged. "Collecting dust. Aging. I was sleeping before miss loud-mouth pants burst in." he grumbled.

Cindy snapped out of her daze, and frowned. She opened her mouth to say something- but decided against it. As she slowly shrunk into the corner of the cell, Libby watched her with a curious look on her face.

"I don't suppose you've devised a plan of escape- have you James?" asked Jimmy. Evil Jimmy smiled. "Funny you should say that, doc- just so happens that I've been trying to use this old cellphone to contact Goddard. Fortunately, though- it seems the ol' pooch is occupied." he explained.

Carl groaned. "Oh no... not _another_ cell phone..." he moaned.

Jimmy ignored his best friends complaints about there being far too many cell phones on this adventure, and tried to think. "Your sure that Goddard is unable to respond?" he asked. Evil Jimmy nodded. "Yep. I've tried a few other places too- but I can't seem to get through to the BTSO, or the old pizza place." said Evil Jimmy.

"I see. That is- wait a minute, why did you try to contact a pizza place?" asked Jimmy.

Evil Jimmy shrugged. "I dunno. I just thought that an old friend of mine could use another ten thousand pizzas with extra cheese." he said. Cindy finally drew out of hiding. "That was YOU!?" she bellowed. Evil Jimmy laughed to himself. "So, whippy-dip. Do you have any bright ideas?" he asked, ignoring the less than polite things that Cindy was yelling at him.

Jimmy frowned. "I... don't... I managed to learn a lot of things in the past few days- but to be honest, my brain simply isn't functioning on its highest capacity. So unless you have the time to explain everything there is know to me- I'm afraid I might be of little to no use." he explained.

Evil Jimmy sighed. "And, what if I know a way to get your memory back?" he asked. Jimmy frowned. "Is that true?" he asked. Evil Jimmy shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe I'm just plotting to end you once and for all- or maybe I think your whippy-dipped head'll actually be of some use." said Evil Jimmy.

Jimmy turned around to face Cindy. "What do you think, Cindy?" he asked. Cindy frowned. "Since when do my opinions matter?" she grumbled. "You have been with him for some time now- do you believe that this evil clone of me is worth trusting?" Jimmy asked.

Cindy frowned. "Well... no. But... we don't really have a choice. Maybe something you've forgotten will be the key to getting us out of here..." she mumbled.

Jimmy nodded. "Okay, then- James. Let's do it." he said.

Evil Jimmy sighed, and stood himself up. He was still covered in bracelets that were chained to the wall- which made it a little hard to move. He motioned for Jimmy to come a little closer."Give me your hand." Evil Jimmy instructed with his hand outstretched towards him. Jimmy nodded, and gave him his hand.

Evil Jimmy closed his eyes, as black tendrils began to sprout out of his hand and into Jimmy's. Jimmy flinched. "Hey- don't move. I'm trying to concentrate here, doc." said Evil Jimmy. Jimmy grit his teeth, as he and everybody else in the cell watched black tendrils and smoke begin to slither their way into Jimmy's skin. They could see it moving from under his skin, wriggling about like thousands of black worms. Eventually, they made their way to his face- and Jimmy's eyes rolled over. The whites of his eyes were quickly covered with black.

"Alright... that's step one..." Evil Jimmy grumbled. "Now I just need somebody to actually go into his brain- and recover the memory." he said.

"Wha-what!? You didn't say anything about that!" yelled Libby.

Evil Jimmy was gritting his teeth, and sweating. He ignored Libby and focused his attention on Cindy. "You. Vortex. Take my other hand- and then take Neutrons." he growled. "Wha-... what!? You want _me_ to go in there? Why can't you just send Carl? He's his best friend!" Cindy yelled. Evil Jimmy glared at her. "Wheezer. If Jimmy had to pick between you and Sheen to perform brain surgery on him- who would he pick?" he asked.

Carl thought for a moment. "Oh, I remember! Cindy." he said.

Cindy frowned. "What!? But that- Look, just send somebody else! I'm sure Neutron doesn't want me in his brain _anyway._" she said. Evil Jimmy chuckled. "Oh? But your already_ there_..." he muttered. "Look- just listen to me, Vortex. It won't hurt. It won't take long. Just get in there- and out. I can't go in because I have the manage the gateway... Now hurry up!" he yelled.

Cindy glanced at Libby. Libby smiled at her. "Just do it, girl. I know you'll do fine." she said. Cindy grit her teeth. "Fine... give me your stupid hand..." she growled.

Evil Jimmy grabbed Cindys hand. "Thanks. Now- grab ol' whippy-dips and the show can get started." he said. Cindy nodded, and slowly put her hand in Jimmy's. She carefully entwined her fingers with his, and held her breath. "Alright... let's get this over with." she said.

Suddenly, a mass of black tentacles and smoke began to crawl through her body. She grit her teeth, and resisted the urge to throw up.

"For Jimmy..." she muttered to herself. "For Jimmy..."

Suddenly, her eyes rolled into the back of her head- and the whites of her eyes were covered in black. Evil Jimmy shot the rest of the group a weary glance. "Hey- when I said this wouldn't take long? I was lying." he said.

The group groaned.

"Who wants to play charades?" asked Carl.

The group groaned louder.

* * *

The Boss walked through the hospital with a sour look on his face. Anybody who dared to so much as look at him- let alone ask him if he was 'lost'- would get a severe yelling at.

Finally, he found the room.

He made his way inside, slowly. Lying on a hospital bed and slowly getting more and more green- was Agent Jet Fusion. The Boss sighed, and set down his briefcase. He rummaged through it for a while, until he finally would a small black case that contained a single small syringe. The Boss smiled, as he carefully pulled out a small vial of clear liquid, and filled the syringe with it. Then, he slowly brought the syringe over to Jets neck. He quickly pushed it into him, and pushed down on the plunger.

After a few minutes, the green seemed to fade away.

The Boss pulled out a small metal device, and placed it on the base of Jets skull. He flicked a tiny switch. When the device finally lit up, the Boss giggled to himself. Then, he pulled out a small microphone.

"Listen to me, Agent Fusion. It's me again... your master..." the Boss whispered into the microphone. Jet twitched in his sleep. The Boss smiled.

It was working.

"I have a new mission for you. Do you choose to accept this mission?" he asked.

Jet mumbled something that sounded like a 'yes'. The Boss shrugged. That would have to do.

The boss slowly went through everything he wanted Jet to do, making sure he left short pauses for the sleeping secret agent to nod or grunt in agreement. Finally, the Boss was about to remove the device when he noticed something on Jets teeth. He frowned. It looked like they had wired his jaw shut do that it would heal. The Boss sighed, and pulled out a pair of pliers.

"You won't be needing_ those _anymore." he said, as he slowly removed the metal- ignoring Jets muffled screams of pain. The special serum should have not only cured Jet of the algae-man affliction, but it also should repair every cell in his body to its top physical form. Which meant that not only would he no longer have a broken jaw- but a few of his old stunt injuries would stop flaring up in the winter.

The Boss coughed, and then picked up the microphone. "You will wake up in a few hours feeling fresh and free. And then- you will accomplish the tasks I have set for you." he ordered.

Jet nodded, and the Boss threw the wires in the trash can as he left.

His insurance policy was set. Now all he had to do was sit back- and watch the chaos unfurl.

* * *

_To be continued..._

* * *

_(AN: I would love to hear more from the kind folks who have been reading this story so far, about what they think about how the all of the characters are being portrayed here. I'm finding Sheen, Carl and Jimmy pretty easy- but I'm having some difficulty with Cindy and Libby. Also, I really wanna know what people think of Betty, Nick and Evil Jimmy. Stay tuned. The next chapter is... well, you'll see.)_


	19. Chapter 18

_Chapter Eighteen: Jimmy Neutron and the Depths of Memory_

Sheen opened his eyes slowly, and flinched at the sudden flash of bright light. "Aw, man- its so bright..." he grumbled. He frowned, and tried to move his hand over his face- only to find that he couldn't. He frowned, and tried to move his legs. Then his arms again. He continued to squirm for a while, before finally giving up.

He could feel something hard and cold wrapped around his limbs. It was probably chains or something. Sheen groaned. "Aw- man! Can I go through just one adventure without gettin' chained to somethin'- Or caged. Or locked up. Or hit on the head..." he complained. He tried to open his eyes again- but the light was still too bright. He shut his eyes, and frowned deeply.

"Uh... is anybody here? Or am I just restrained to some kind of giant metal slab all on my own?" he asked. When he heard no response, he took a deep breath and sighed. "Aw, okay. I geuss I'll just use this time to sing a sad tune of incarceration... let's see... WHEEEEERE DOOOOES THE _TIIIIIIIME _GOOOOOOO-" he bellowed. Suddenly, another voice cut through the air. "Oh, my- Stop that at once! Oh heavens of the stars and tranquil seas! It sounds like somebody is scratching the inside of my BRAIN!" the voice screamed. "AGAIN!" it added.

Sheen stopped singing, and huffed. "Aw- come on! I can't even sing on my own in a crazy bright room without somebody baggin' on me?" he yelled.

The voice sighed. "I tell you what- I'll make a little _deal_ with you. I will turn down the lights- if you promise never to do that again." it said.

"Aw, alright- fine!" yelled Sheen.

As promised, the lights began to dim. Slowly, Sheen opened his eyes and blinked. There were patches of white and black in his eye sight. It took a few minutes for them to fade away. Sheen observed his surroundings. It looked like he was in a room of mirrors. All of the walls, the ceiling and the floor- all of them were completely reflective. Sheen winked at his reflection. Sure enough- he secured onto a big metal rectangle, standing up right.

After spending more time being distracted by his reflection, a question finally crossed his mind.

"Hey... what am I doing here?" he asked.

The voice chuckled. It seemed to be coming from somewhere behind on of the mirrors- although Sheen couldn't tell which one. He frowned. "Hey, disembodied voice thingy! Stop laughin' at everything! Everything isn't that funny!" he yelled. The voice suddenly stop chuckling, and sighed. "But... well... I am reasonably certain that laughing is... something that crazy evil people do... and... well... I'm evil and crazy, so..." the voice trailed off, sounding more than a little confused.

"I geuss... But it gets really annoying after a while, y'know?" asked Sheen.

The voice sighed again. "Okay... I'll try to hold off on the laughter..." it said.

"Thanks, dude."

The voice cleared its throat. "Now- Welcome! To the Chamber of Absolute Torture!" it bellowed. Sheen gulped. "Wha- what? What'd I do to get thrown into a chamber of absolute torture?" he asked. "You have been a thorn... a... a pin... a _splinter_- in my side, for too long, Jimmy Neutron!" yelled the voice. "And now- I will end you in the slowest, most entertaining way possible!"

Sheen blinked. "Wait, hold up... you think I'm Jimmy?" he asked.

"Well, yes. I think that- because you _are_ Jimmy." said the voice.

"Oh- nu-uh. I'm Sheen. Got it? _Sheen._ So if that's all settled, I'll just be taking my leave now.." said Sheen. "Silence! You are going no place!" yelled the voice. "You can not fool _me_, Jimmy Neutron!"

Sheen shook his head. "No, I mean it. Jimmy and I- we're best friends. But we're not the same person. And I know he's not imaginary either- 'cause he always hits me on the shoulder every time I pinch him to check." he explained.

"Are you trying to tell me- that I have picked up the _wrong_ kid in a janitors costume? Not possible!" yelled the voice.

"Hey, who are you, anyway? Are you that, uh- the guy who... uh... can't finish..." Sheen mumbled.

"Sentences?" suggested the voice.

"Actually- _anything. _That's like his, uh... shtick. He's real bad at finishing stuff. Are you that guy?" asked Sheen.

"No... no I'm not. I am... Doctor _MOIST_!" the voice bellowed.

"Oh, yeah- I remember now. You picked me up with those weird green tentacle thingys... Hey, what's that all about?" asked Sheen. Dr Moist sighed. "Oh, you know- just a little bit of experimentation on myself. It had yielding _fantastic _results!" he yelled.

"I'll bet." said Sheen.

An awkward silence hung in the air, as Sheen stared off into space. Finally, Dr Moist broke the silence. "Okay, okay- I'm going to set this laser to cut you into pieces- and then leave. I have so much work to do... _maniacal_ work..." he said. With that, Sheen could hear the sound of Dr Moist walking away- and slamming a door shut behind him. Sheen blinked.

Nothing was happening.

He cleared his throat.

Suddenly, a giant laser cannon came out of the ceiling. Sheen breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally!" he yelled. The cannon shot a stream of bright red power on the bottom of the slab, between Sheens legs. The laser beam slowly began to make its way upwards, seemingly following a path straight towards-

Sheen gulped. "Uh... I could... use a little help, here! Hello!? Anybody!?" he yelled.

The laser continued to rise.

"I'm not kidding here! SOMEBODY!"

Sheen whimpered. This, was _not _good.

* * *

Cindy stood herself up, and frowned. She was standing in the middle of a vast metropolis. There were massive skyscrapers stretching far into the night sky, of all different shapes in sizes. Some of them looked like they belonged somewhere in New York City. Others seemed to resemble light houses, and others simply appeared to be long cylinders. They all seemed to have one thing in common. They were grey- and Cindy couldn't see the top of any of them. The towers in the distance were all covered with a blanket of thick fog.

Between the towers were wide pathways of grey dirt. They twisted around every tower like an intricate web of... well, grey dirt.

"Hello?" she called out. "Is there anybody here?"

She had expected to hear an echo- but none came. There was only silence. Complete and utter silence. "Okay... this is creepy..." she muttered to herself. She started walking across the dirt, glancing at the towers that surrounded her. "Okay... this is supposed to be Neutrons mind?" she muttered to herself.

Eventually, the enviroment started to darken. The grey slowly turned to black. Cindy gulped. The towers seemed to be drawing closer together. Cindy's path began to get more and more narrow. Until finally- she reached a dead end. The towers seemed to squeeze together into a corner. Cindy frowned.

The darkness seemed to be moving in front of her eyes. Swirling about like some kind of... portal.

"Oh- so you've found the door already, Vortex?" Evil Jimmy's voice cut through the air. Cindy jumped. "AH! Hey! Where are you!?" she yelled. Cindy could picture the smug look on Evil Jimmy's face without seeing it. She could hear it in his voice, too. "Are you ready to get started, Cindy?" he asked.

Cindy frowned. "Sure... I'm ready. What do I do?" she asked.

"Just do through that door- into his memories. Once your inside, see if you can find a memory that is particularly important to ol' whippy-dip here. Then you'll need to drag it through this door- If its significant enough, it'll trigger the return of all the rest as well. Sound simple enough?" asked Evil Jimmy.

"How the heck am I supposed to move a _memory_?" asked Cindy.

Evil Jimmy laughed. "Just grab the main character. And then push him through where you entered. Now hurry it up, doc. We don't have all day." he said.

Cindy rolled her eyes. "You owe me one for this, Neutron..." she growled.

With that, Cindy stepped into the darkness.

* * *

_"Yes, I'm sure- Goddard. Come on! Think about it. I could both solve world hunger world-wide, and solve our waste disposal problems! This'll make Cindy admit that I'm the smartest once and for all!"_

_"Bark! Bark!"_

_"I do not! It is simply a heathy rivalry between one boy genius, and one stupid girl. That's all."_

_"Bark, bark?"_

_"Godd-ard! Whose side are you on!?"_

Cindy rubbed her eyes. She was standing in compete darkness. And in front of her- was a massive round screen. She could see Goddard, and parts of Jimmy's lab in the background. "Am I... Looking through his eyes?" she asked. She turned around, expecting to hear Evil Jimmy make some form of snide comment.

It didn't come.

Cindy stretched her hand out towards the screen, and lightly touched it with her finger. The picture rippled, and Cindy quickly withdrew her hand. That was... weird.

_"Oh, Goddard- can you give me that screwdriver? Thanks, boy."_

"Hey... Uh... Evil Jimmy? Are you there?" she called out. There was still no response. Cindy sighed. It looked like she had no choice but to stay there- and keep watching. Time seemed skipping ahead in short bursts, as Cindy watched the invention begin to take shape.

_"Alright, Goddard. Shrink Ray Prototype Number 001. Are you ready for the testing phase?"_

Cindy watched Goddard tuck himself into a corner.

"_Bark! Bark!"_

_"Okay!"_

Jimmy picked it up, and aimed it at a pumpkin he had on a small wooden desk. _"In three... two... one... Fire!"_ he announced. Jimmy pressed a small blue button on the remote. And then, it sparked- and exploded.

The screen was suddenly filled with smoke, as Jimmy began to cough violently. Slowly, the smoke faded away- as Jimmy shot glance at Goddard.

_"Rrr... Bark! Bark!"_

_"Yeah... I think the power source may have been a little too unstable... Maybe this is a good excuse to try out the new Neutronic batteries!"_

Cindy could tell that Goddard looked worried about that- but apparently Jimmy did not. Jimmy pulled out a small blue cylinder from one of his desk drawers, and began to repair the remote. Finally, he placed the small blue cylinder inside of it- and added a small antennae that poked out of the front end of the remote.

_"Alright- this will count as Prototype Number 002. Are you ready again, Goddard?"_

_"Bark, Bark!"_

_"Yeah... Keep the fire extinguisher on hand just in case. Okay- In three... two... one... Fire!"_

This time, it didn't explode. And instead sent a stream of energy directly into the pumpkin. The energy dissipated. Jimmy and Goddard crept closer to the pumpkin. For a while, there no change. Then, the pumpkin slowly began to sink. Eventually, it was reduced to a puddle of orange liquid.

Jimmy groaned.

_"Well... I guess I stumbled onto a new way to make pumpkin soup- but that's not exactly what I had in mind..."_

_"Bark! Bark!"_

_"Your right, Goddard. Come on- let's get started on Prototype Number 003."_

Cindy watched as Jimmy continued to run through prototype after prototype. Some were big, and others small. Some of them exploded, some of them gave Jimmy a few rather nasty electric shocks, and some of them simply didn't do anything at all. As he continued, Cindy watched different pumpkins being subjected to every kind of treatment she could think of. They were sent on fire, turned to ash- some of them simply disappeared, and others actually did manage to shrink- but they didn't stop. Eventually becoming so small that not even Jimmy's most powerful magnifying lens could see it.

Eventually, a few weeks went by. Cindy watched as Jimmy would go to school, hang out with his friends- get bullied by Butch, and then make his way back home. Then he would spend the rest of his day working on the Shrink Ray, his rocket- and planning upgrades for Vox and Goddard. Only taking a break when dinner time rolled around, because his mother would threaten to ban him from his lab if he didn't come out to eat.

After that- it was straight back to his lab to get back to work.

Cindy frowned. He was working really hard. Harder than she had ever seen him work before. But then again- she hadn't had many chances to really observe Jimmy while he was inventing something. She usually only ever saw the finished product. As she watched his hands working furiously at what was his umpteenth attempt at the Shrink Ray, she wished that she could see his face. It was probably drenched with sweat. His eyes would be completely focused on what was in front of him. His eyebrows would be furrowed, and as time went on- his hair would slowly droop- as if to indicate his growing weariness.

She smiled. It had been a while since she had seen him like that... She bit her lip, and tried to quell the emotions that were rising up to her chest. She didn't want to think that way anymore. But every time she heard him speak, she couldn't stop her heart from fluttering. He sounded so bright. So eager.

She frowned. She tried to think of the last time she had heard him sound like that... Her stomach slowly began to sink. It really had been a while. How long had it been since the last time she had given her that boyish grin of his? How long since he had proudly strutted in front of the class with his latest invention in his hands- ready to amaze his fellow classmates.

Cindy knew the answer to that already. But she didn't want to admit it. During their last big argument- the one that had made her finally decide to try and give up on Jimmy Neutron once and for all... He had said some things... She had never felt so hurt. She wanted to scream and cry- but instead, she returned the blow with some words of her own.

That had been the last time they had really spoken to each other. From then on- they would run into each other every now and again (usually literally) and they would pick themselves up and leave without a word. Or- Cindy would try to pick a fight, and Jimmy would find a way to get out of it.

She had honestly thought that things might be getting back to normal when he asked her for help. They had all climbed into the space car and headed to planet Gorlock. It felt like they were finally going on another adventure together.

But instead...

She sighed. She didn't want to think about it anymore. It made her feel tired. She focused her attention back to the screen.

Jimmy was showing his final version of the Shrink Ray to the class. He had aimed it at the ten year old version of Cindy, and pressed the button; when sparks suddenly flew out of it, and it shut down. The younger Cindy laughed, and the class joined her. Jimmy sighed, and put the Shrink Ray in his backpack.

He and the rest of class began to shuffle out of the classroom, as the screen slowly faded to black.

Cindy frowned. "Was that an important memory?" she asked. "Uh- Evil clone of Nerdtron? Where are you!?" she yelled.

"Yeah, yeah- keep your pants on, doc."

Cindy breathed a sigh of relief as Evil Jimmy's voice boomed through the dark, empty space. "Have you been looking through his memories?" he asked.

"Well, just one. I watched him build that Shrink Ray of his- and then it just sort of... ended." said Cindy.

Evil Jimmy sighed. "Alright- I want you to think. Really concentrate. I need you to think of a memory that Jimmy might have. One that you know is particularly important. You should be able to see it if you do it right." he explained.

"Uh... okay." said Cindy. She closed her eyes, and tried to think. 'Maybe... something from his childhood?' she thought to herself.

Suddenly, a picture flickered onto the screen. She could see a park. A wide expanse of grass, and tall trees. The wind swept across the leaves, leaving a peaceful rustling sound hanging in the air. She could see Goddard again.

_"Bark! Bark!"_

_"Alright, Goddard! Go long!" _

Cindy blinked. Jimmy's voice sounded young. Very young. She watched Jimmy's hands pick up a small stick- and throw it into the air. Goddard stretched his neck out, and plucked it from out of the air. She could hear Jimmy laugh_. _

_"Aw, come on- Goddard. You've gotta run after it."_

_"Bark! Bark!"_

_"Alright. One more time. Fetch, Goddard!"_

This time, Goddard chased the stick on foot. Unfortunately, the stick landed directly on top of a small boys head. Before Jimmy could stop him, Goddard had already pounced on the boy to retrieve his stick.

_"AAAH! MAD DOG! MAD DOG! I'M ALLERGIC TO-"_ the boy started to scream, on to stop himself mid-sentance. Goddard picked up the stick between his steel jaws._ "Hey..." _the boy muttered._ "Your not making me break out or anything... or sneeze... or wheeze!" _he yelled, as he brought his nose to Goddard's face.

Jimmy cleared his throat._ "Um, excuse me... But, why are you sniffing my dog?"_ he asked. The boy jumped at the sound of Jimmy's voice, and nervously began to pick himself up. It didn't take long for Cindy to recognise who the young boy was. Actually- she figured it out as soon as he began to scream.

It was Carl Wheezer. He looked to be about seven or eight. He was wearing a pair of thick red suspenders around his shoulders to help keep his ill-fitting pants from falling down. He was a little less chubby, and certainly seemed a lot more timid than Cindy remembered. Carl cleared his throat nervously.

_"Um, my mom says not to talk to strangers..."_ he said. Cindy couldn't see Jimmy's face- but from the way the screen suddenly flickered, she guessed that he had blinked a few times_. "Oh... okay. Well, sorry about my dog." _he said. _"Come on, Goddard. You apologise, too."_

Goddard looked at the ground and gave a short whine. Carl's features seemed to soften._ "Aww, its okay little dog. You know- your the only dog I've ever met that I'm not allergic too. Also- your the only dog I've ever seen that's made of metal."_ he said. Goddard licked him on the face, and gave him a happy bark.

Carl giggled.

_"His name is Goddard."_ said Jimmy. Carl smiled, and looked up at him. _"He's really cool." _he said. _"Um... my name's Carl."_

Jimmy offered Carl his hand, and was just about to speak- when a loud and extremely grating voice shot through the air._ "WOAH! AWE-SOME!" _it screamed. Cindy rolled her eyes. It was pretty easy to guess who _that_ voice belonged to. Sure enough, when Jimmy turned to face the source of the loud voice, the screen was suddenly filled with image of Sheen Estevez.

He looked younger too- although it was a little harder to tell. He looked smaller, and his hair was just a little less spikey- but that was it. He was still wearing an Ultralord shirt, and a maniacal grin. And he was holding an Ultralord toy in one hand. Sheen raced over to them, looking particularly excited. _"It's Robo-fiends pet from Ultralord episode one twenty-seven! Ultralord and the Intergalactic Pet Show!"_ he yelled. _"Don't worry! I'll save you, citizens!"_

With that, Sheen swung his hand at Goddard's hand- apparently attempting to give him some sort of karate chop. Instead of attempting to dodge it, Goddard simply opened his mouth- and when Sheens hand got close enough- clamped it down again.

There was a few seconds of awkward silence, as Sheen slowly realised that he had a set of metal jaws on his hand. He twitched. And then- _"YAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" _he screamed. Sheen started running around in a circle, shaking his hand as hard as he could. Goddard didn't let go- and was being flung around wildly while Sheen screamed like a little girl.

_"GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF! ULTRALOOOOORD! HEEEELP!"_ he screamed.

_"Goddard! Down!"_ yelled Jimmy. Goddard obediently let go of the screaming boy, and was sent flying into the grass. Sheen shook his hand and growled. _"Aw- that stings! Curse you vile robot! You may have won this round, but- oh! Look, a squirrel!"_ he yelled. With that, he sat down and stared at a near by tree. _"Ha! Look! It's foraging! Stupid squirrel! It's not even winter yet, you know!?" _he yelled. The squirrel peered at Sheen from the tree branch, and seemed to shake its little fist at Sheen.

Carl quickly joined Sheen on the grass, watching the squirrel.

Jimmy faced Goddard, and gulped. All of a sudden, Goddard had raced over to the base of the tree, and started barking angrily_. "Uh-oh... your metal dog isn't going to try and hurt the little squirrel, is he?"_ asked Carl. Jimmy gulped. _"Well... no... I mean- it's not like he can get to him.."_ he said. Suddenly, Goddard stretched his neck out to the tree branch that the squirrel was sitting on- and chomped at him. The squirrel dodged narrowly. Goddard's metal teeth snapped the branch in two- sending the squirrel falling down into the grass.

It landed with a soft 'thud', and barely had the time to collect itself, before it found itself face to face with Goddard. The squirrel took off as fast as its little legs could carry it- and Goddard chased after it, barking as loudly and angrily as he could.

_"No, Goddard! Bad dog!"_ yelled Jimmy. Goddard didn't listen. His attention was completely focused on his prey. The squirrel continued to run around, weaving between the trees and narrowly avoiding Goddard's jaws.

Carl gasped in horror. _"Oh, no! We've got to help that little squirrel!" _he yelled. Sheen rolled his eyes_. "Aw, come on. It's the circle of life, dude. The strong eats the weak. Haven't you ever seen a monster truck rally?" _he asked.

_"My mom doesn't allow me to see monster truck rallies. She says it causes brain rust." _said Carl.

_"Aw, your loss- dude."_ said Sheen.

_"I've got to stop him..."_ Jimmy muttered to himself. _"But how? He won't listen to me when he gets like this... Wait a minute... Hey!" _he yelled, facing Sheen. _"Is that an Ultralord Limited Edition Flying Toy?"_ asked Jimmy.

Sheen nodded._ "Yep. Awesome, huh? But... I broke the remote thing that controls it..." _he said. He pulled a small remote control out of his back pocket._ "See? How was I supposed to know that your not supposed to get Purple Flurp on it!?" _he yelled.

Jimmy held out his hand._ "Give it to me." _he said._ "No way, kid! Get your own!" _yelled Sheen. Jimmy snatched the remote control out of Sheens hands, and pulled out a small screwdriver from his pocket. _"If I can just fix this..."_ muttered Jimmy. Sheen rolled his eyes._ "Good luck! My dad couldn't even repair it- what makes you think you-"_

"Done!" said Jimmy. Sheen blinked. _"Wha... really!? Cool!" _he yelled.

_"Now give me the Ultralord!"_ said Jimmy. Sheen pulled the Ultralord action figure close to his chest._ "Wha... what for?" _he asked. _"If I can use the Ultralord figure to pick up the squirrel, I should be able to put it back in the tree- out of Goddard's reach." _explained Jimmy. Sheen pouted._ "Aww... but..." _he mumbled.

Carl gave him a look. _"You can't let that cute little squirrel get hurt!"_ he yelled.

_"But I-"_

_"What would Ultralord do?"_ asked Jimmy. Sheen thought about this for a moment, and nodded. He handed Jimmy his precious toy, and gave him a salute. _"I wish you all the best!" _he announced.

_"Oh, don't worry- I've flown things like this before." _said Jimmy.

_"Not you! I was talking to the action figure!" _yelled Sheen.

Jimmy took the remote, and turned it on. He threw the Ultralord into the air, and with a quick jolt of the joystick- Ultralord began to fly. Jimmy kept his attention focused on the squirrel. The Ultralord flew inbetween the squirrel and Goddard, and slowly drew closer. Sheen and Carl yelped as Goddard gave another chomp- and the Ultralord narrowly avoided being crushed. The three boys breathed a sigh of relief.

But it wasn't over yet.

Jimmy flew the Ultralord underneath the squirrels feet- tripping it over. The squirrel grabbed at the air as it fell- and managed to land its claws on one of Ultralords biceps. And just like that- the squirrel found itself flying in the air. It quickly wrapped itself around the toy, as Jimmy turned it around- and started flying it back to its home.

Goddard was still giving chase. Jimmy maneuvered the flying action figure and the terrified squirrel around, narrowly avoiding Goddard's jaws, as he extended his neck into the air. Finally, Jimmy landed the squirrel safely on its home tree. Carl and Sheen yelled out in celebration. Goddard growled.

As Jimmy began to fly the Ultralord back to them, he noticed Goddard preparing to stretch his neck out one last time- and finally get his prey. Jimmy dropped the remote control. _"Goddard! Stop!" _he yelled. Jimmy held out his arms in front of the dog, just as he began to send his hungry metal jaws into the air.

There was loud 'crunch'. And Goddard seemed to leap back to his senses in an instant, when he realised just what it was that his jaws had clamped onto. Jimmy had managed to catch his dogs jaws in the air with his forearm. Blood began to trickle down Goddard's mouth. Goddard immediately let go, as Jimmy yelped in pain.

Cindy sat up straight. All of Goddard's triangular teeth had managed to punture the skin in a neat circle.

_"Oh, no! YOUR BLEEDING! MEDIC! MEDIC!" _screamed Carl in the background. Cindy could hear Jimmy muttering something to himself, but she couldn't quite make it out. Goddard approached, looking sheepish. He whined, and opened his back. A long metal arms reached out, holding a bandage. In a blur of motion, Jimmy's arm was covered in layers of bandages.

Goddard _howled._

_"Aw, I'll be okay- Goddard... Just... Never do that again, okay?" _said Jimmy. Goddard nodded, and lowered his head to the ground. Jimmy gave him a light pat.

_"Hey! Are you okay!?" _yelled Carl.

_"Yeah- I'm fine."_ said Jimmy.

_"That was AWE-SOME! You were incredible!"_ yelled Sheen, as he picked up his beloved action figure. He faced Jimmy with a smiled._ "You were pretty cool, too." _he added.

_"Thank you... Sorry that Goddard caused so much trouble..." _said Jimmy. _"Are you kidding!? That was the most fun I've ever had without sitting in front of a TV!" _yelled Sheen. _"Yeah." _said Carl._ "That was really exciting..."_

_"Oh. Well, thanks. My name is Jimmy Neutron. I just moved here. What're yours?"_ asked Jimmy.

_"Sheen Estevez!" _yelled Sheen.

_"Carl Wheezer..." _said Carl.

_"Its good to meet you guys."_

Suddenly, the screen began to fade to black. Cindy blinked. "Uh... okay. Wa-... Was that a good enough memory!?" she called out. She could hear noise echoing through the darkness. Suddenly, she heard Evil Jimmy's voice. "Eh- I geuss. But that's not really the kind of memory I had in mind, doc." he said.

Cindy scowled. "So I just watched that whole thing for nothing?" she asked. "Yeah. Pretty stupid of you, if you ask me." said Evil Jimmy. "Keep looking. It's a certain kind of memory... You'll know it when you see it."

Cindy groaned. "Oh, alright... I'll try even earlier..." she grumbled.

* * *

Sheen was doing his best not to burst into tears, as he struggled with all of his might to escape. The laser was drawing closer and closer. He gulped. "Okay... calm down..." he muttered to himself. "What would Ultralord do? What would _Jimmy_ do?"

He grit his teeth, and squirmed against the metal cuffs holding his wrists in place. "Um... uh... I know! I'll try a brain blast thing! C'mon, Sheen! You can do it!" he yelled.

"Just think..."

"Think..."

"Think..."

Sheen strained, and grunted. Suddenly, one of his hands slipped out. Sheen opened his eyes, and brought his hand in front of his face. "Wow... It worked!" he yelled. He quickly yanked out his other hand- and got to work on his feet. The laser beam was drawing closer to a particular part of his anatomy. He flinched.

"Oh! I know!" he yelled.

Sheen carefully ducked down and brought his hands to his feet. As quickly as he could, he untied one of his shoelaces. Then, he tugged at his foot once again. His foot slipped out- leaving his shoe stuck in the metal ring. Sheen smiled. "Awesome! I escaped!" he yelled. With that- he launched himself off of the sideways platter.

Only to tumble on the ground with a loud 'crunch'.

Sheen whimpered. He had forgotten about his other foot. And now- his ankle was making unhappy sounds. He tugged at it as hard as he could. His other foot came out with a loud 'pop'. It was screaming with pain- but he was free now. Shee breathed a sigh of relief. "O-kay! I'm free. Now- I just gotta figure out a way outta this crazy room of mirrors..." he told himself. He crawled over to the wall, and leaned against it to stand himself up.

"Aw, man... Ha! Stupid laser! You thought you could get me, huh!? Well no one lasers _Ultra_-Sheen!" he yelled.

The laser continued to cut a line in the metal slab.

Sheen huffed. "Yeah. That's what I thought. Now- How do I get outta here!?" he yelled. "I gotta go save Jimmy and Carl so I can brag about it to Libby- and then she'll agree to be my girlfriend again!"

Sheen looked around the room. There were no doors. The room was just a mirrored box with a laser and a metal slab in it. Sheen frowned. "Aw- come on! There's gotta be a trap door or somethin'..." he mumbled. Suddenly, he got an idea. Sheen looked up at the laser beams point of origin- the big cannon looking device hanging from the ceiling.

He grinned.

Hopping on one foot- he tried to reach for the laser. He jumped. And jumped again. Finally- he managed to wrap his hand around it. It slowly moved down, as Sheen pulled it with everything he had. "I'll just use this laser to cut through these mirrors..." he said.

"Wait a minute... Laser beams... They reflect off of mirrors... don't they?" he mused, more than a little too late.

The laser beam left the metal slab, and hit the mirrored floor. It bounced up- and hit the wall. Sheen let go of the laser and dropped to the floor- as the laser continued to bounced around- and around and around.

"AH!" he squealed, as he did his best to avoid being hit by the various laser beam reflections. He slowly crawled into the corner, and cowered. At the laser beam continued to bounce around, Sheen pushed himself further and further into the corner.

"Aw, come on! I'm the good guy, here! Can't the universe gimme a little cosmic fortune or something!?" he yelled.

As if on cue- the laser beam bounced off of the ground drawing very close to Sheen, and went up- straight into the laser cannon. It slowly started to spark, and glow red. Until finally- it exploded.

Sheen coughed, and removed some of the soot and broken glass from his face. He opened his eyes, slowly.

All the mirrors has shattered. And, in the wall in front of him- there was a big square hole. Sheen poked his head through it. It looked like it was some kind of viewing room. And apparently- the mirror on that wall had been two way. And the others... were just mirrors. He wondered about that for a moment- but shook his head. There was no use worrying about every little thing.

Sheen grinned. "All right,_ Universe_!" he yelled, as he carefully blew a kiss into the air. "I owe ya one- babe." he said with a wink. Sheen carefully crawled into the other room- and out the door from there.

Now- all he had to do was find Carl and Jimmy.

And... maybe get his ankle looked at.

* * *

Nick groaned. It had been over an hour already, and Cindy was still doing whatever it was with Jimmy and the Evil Jimmy. He glanced at the group of three, all standing together in a circle holding hands. He envied them. Because they all seemed to be off in their own little world, while he was stuck in a room with the second most annoying person he had ever met.

Carl put his hands together, and waved them in the air like wings.

"Is it Llama-Boy?" asked Nick. Carl was impressed. "Yeah, Nick! It was Llama-Boy! You're really good at this game. Do you do a lot of practicing at home?" he asked.

Nick shook his head. "Lucky geuss.." he grumbled. Nick glanced at Libby, who was sitting with her legs crossed on the other side of the cell. He frowned. "Hey- why don't you take over?" he asked. "You've gotta be better at this game than Wheezer is."

"Hey!" yelled Carl.

Libby sighed. "Why are you even going along with him if you don't like charades so much?" she asked. "Well, it's not like there's anything else to do in this place..." mumbled Nick.

Betty cleared her throat. "Okay- I'll take over for Carl." said Betty. Carl sighed. "Aw, okay... do you know the rules, Betty?" he asked. Before Betty had the chance to open her mouth, Carl began to list the rules.

"Okay- all you have to do is mime stuff, and the others have to guess what it is. Oh- but first, you have to say if it's a movie, or a book... or, um... a TV show. Oh! But Jimmy, Sheen, Goddard and I always have some other rules, too. Like- you know how you're not supposed to speak, right?" he asked.

Betty nodded, as Libby made her way closer to them. She sat down next to Nick, while Carl continued to tell them the rules.

"Well, your also not allowed to use holograms, and you can't just point at your shirt or your doll. Oh- um, '_action figure_'. Okay?" he asked. The others shared a collective nod. Carl sat next to Libby, as Betty slowly stood herself standing in front of the group, she motioned that it was a movie.

"Oh! I know! I know!" yelled Carl, waving his hand in the air. Betty pointed at him, indicating that he was allowed to speak. "Um... it's a movie?" he asked. Betty nodded. Carl pumped his fist in the air, while Nick rolled his eyes at him. Libby frowned. "Hey, Carl? What did you say happened to Sheen, again?" she asked.

"Oh, Doctor Moist took him. I think he probably wants to make him into one of his algae men or something..." Carl mused.

Libby bit her lip, and focused all of her attention on Betty. Betty held out four fingers.

Once again, Carl thrust his arm in the air. "Oh! Pick me! Pick me!" he yelled. Nick rolled his eyes, and put his hand into the air. Betty smiled, and pointed at Nick.

"Four words." said Nick. Carl huffed and shook an angry fist at Nick. Nick ignored him.

Betty held out one finger. "First word." said Libby. "Hey! Your supposed to put your hand up before you speak!" said Carl. Everybody ignored him, and Betty gave Libby a thumbs up.

Next, Betty pretended to pick something up. She pretended to struggle with it- only to have it fall out of her hands. Betty mimed gasping in horror, and then pointed at the ground. Then, she looked at the group.

Everybody thought long and hard about this, before finally, Nick put up his hand. Betty pointed at him, giving him permission to speak. "Um, like- 'dropping' something. Or just 'drop'?" he asked Betty looked disappointed as she shook her head. Nick scowled.

Next went Carl. He thought for a little while longer, until he finally formulated what he believed was an accurate enough theory. "Uh... Is it 'busting', or 'destroying'?" he asked. Betty once again shook her head solemnly. Carl sighed.

Libby took a deep breath. "Is it... 'broke'?" she asked. Betty looked excited, and seemed to gesture that she was almost there. "Um... 'broken'?" asked Libby. Betty smiled and gave her a big thumbs up.

"Alright, Libby!" yelled Carl, giving Libby a congratulatory pat on the back. Nick looked impressed as well. "Hey, nice work- Libby." he said. Libby smiled and proudly puffed out her chest. "Okay, then. Next word- Betty!" she yelled.

Betty nodded, and put her hands to her chest. She slowly moved her hands in and out, as if to resemble her heart. Before Libby or Nick got their chance to say anything, Carl shot his arm into the air. Betty pointed at him.

"The word is 'heart'!" he announced. Betty nodded happily.

"Alright!" yelled Carl.

Betty quickly moved on to the next word. She mimed herself putting on an imaginary crown, and looking highly dignified. She stuck her nose in the air, and strutted about with an air of self-importance. Then, she stopped in her tracks. She quickly jumped over to the other side, and aimed an imaginary gun at the spot she had just been standing. She mimed firing it. She jumped back to where she was before, and mimed clutching her chest in pain, and finally falling over. Dead.

Then she stood up, and looked at the group expectantly. They all had puzzled looks on their faces, until all of a sudden, all the pieces seemed to fit together in Carl's mind.

"Oh! I know what movie it is!" he yelled.

Betty gestured for him to continue.

"Um, is it 'Broken Hearts and Regicide'?" he asked.

Betty beamed. "That's right, Carl!" she announced. Everybody in the group gave Carl a short round of applause, as he politely curtsied for the group. "Aw, it's nothin'... My mom watches that movie all the time..." he said. "It's one of my favourite movies of all time." said Better.

Carl snorted. "Yeah, it's really sweet. It's about this really smart wizard, who keeps on trying to impress the princess of the castle. And the princess kinda likes him too- and then she gets kidnapped. And the smart wizard guy goes off to save her..." Carl said with a light sniffle. "It's so beautiful..." he muttered.

"Really? I've never heard of that movie... how old is it?" asked Libby.

Carl thought about that for a moment, and shrugged. "I don't know... I think my mom said she was young when it first came out..." he said. "Really? Huh..." muttered Libby. "Oh! I have it on DVD! I'll lend it to you sometime!" said Betty. Libby looked up at her excited face, and shrugged.

"Okay, sure."

While Carl, Libby and Betty continued their discussion into romantic comedies and other movies that were aimed at the female audience, Nick couldn't help but feel a little left out. He sighed, and moved over to the corner fo the cell to watch Betty talk about her favourite movies.

He smiled. He didn't get to see her look so happy and excited very often.

It was nice.

* * *

The screen went to static. Cindy frowned. Suddenly, everything around her seemed to flash bright red.

"Alert! Alert! Access to this memory is prohibited!" a voice boomed through the air.

Cindy jumped, and looked around. She couldn't see anything but a few red flashing lights. Suddenly, they disappeared too- and the room went silent again.

"Hey... What did you just do?" asked Evil Jimmy. "Nothing! I was just trying to access some memories from further in his past!" she yelled.

Evil Jimmy mumbled something that she couldn't quite make out. Then, he cleared his throat. "Alright. I tore down the security walls- so you should be able to see it now..." he trailed off. "But, I guess I should warn you... I've never seen this memory before."

Cindy frowned. "Hold on- shouldn't you have all of Neutrons memories floating around in that big head of yours?" she asked.

"Everything up to the point I was cloned, sure. But that's where it stops... But your right. This memory appears to be an early one... I don't know why I wouldn't have it..." he mumbled. Cindy frowned, as the screen suddenly flickered to life.

It was dark, but Cindy could just make out what looked to be a sidewalk, and a road. It was raining heavily. As Jimmy's eyes moved a little further up, she could make out the shape of her own house in the dull glow of a street light. Her house was directly in front to him. Which mean that he had to be sitting somewhere in or around his own house.

When his gaze lowered to his feet, she could see a set of steps.

She frowned. He must have been sitting in front of his front door. Watching the rain... She thought back. She seemed to remember seeing him there many years ago... She had gotten out of bed for a glass of water, and glanced out the window. THat had been the first time she ever saw him.

It had been hard to make him out perfectly in the glow of the streetlights, but she remembered it clearly. She frowned. He would have to have been really young, then. If her instincts were correct, his was probably somewhere between seven and eight years old at the time.

For a while, all that she could see on the screen was more rain. Until finally, a familiar robotic face took over the screen. It was Goddard. He let out a low whine, and nestled close to Jimmy's chest.

Cindy could see tears falling onto Goddard's head, and slowly sliding down. In the glass that made the top part of Goddard's skull, she could just make out a reflection of Jimmy's face. Her heart skipped a beat.

He had thick black rings around his eyes, and his eyes were pink and puffy. There were tears streaming down his pale, sick looking face. And they didn't look like they were going to stop. Cindy watched Jimmy's hands slowly rub his eyes, blocking out the screen for a few short moments.

_"I... I can't do it, Goddard..." _he muttered.

Goddard looked into his face, and whined.

_"How... how can I just... run away like this... "_

Goddard tilted his head to the side, looking confused.

_"You... you don't remember her either, do you Goddard?" _he asked.

_"Rrgh?"_

Jimmy went silent, as the rain continued to fall.

_"Goddard... If the rules are as she said they are... Then... I guess that there'd be no way everybody wouldn't forget... But then, why do I remember?" _he asked. Goddard didn't respond. The rain began to get more and more violent. A roll of thunder shook through the skies, and Goddard trembled.

He whined.

Jimmy carefully wrapped his arms around him._ "It's okay, Goddard... It's just __gaseous molecules undergoing a rapid increase in pressure and thus expanding outward from the lightning, creating an audible shockwave__, there's no need to be frightened."_ he said.

Another burst of thunder filled the air. Jimmy gripped Goddard just a little bit tighter._ "Um... No need to be scared..." _he muttered._ "You know, Goddard... she taught me that. A-and, she taught me a whole lot of other stuff.." _he trailed off.

_"She helped me make you, too- Goddard."_ he said._ "She's... well, she was... really smart. Your mom..."_

This time, there was a flash of white. Goddard whined, and moved himself closer into Jimmy. _"It looks like it's getting-"_ Jimmy was interrupted by the sound of another massive roar of thunder. Goddard howled.

Suddenly, there was a low creaking sound. Jimmy turned around, and found his mother standing by the doorway- looking concerned._ "Jimmy- there you are. I've been looking all over for you. Come inside, it's..." _she stopped, and stared at her sons face.

_"Jimmy? What's wrong ?"_she asked.

Jimmy stood himself up, and sighed. _"It's... nothing, mom. Goddard's just a little scared of the lightning, so I'll go up stairs and-"_

_"Jimmy. Stop."_

Jimmy had just began to make his way up the stairs when his mother stopped him.

_"Tell me what's wrong..."_

Jimmy didn't turn around to face her when he responded._ "You won't believe me, anyway. You'll just... think I'm crazy." _he said.

_"Is this about your imaginary friend?"_ she asked.

This time, Jimmy did turn to face her. She looked worried, and she flinched at what Jimmy said next.

_"She was __**not **__imaginary..." _he spat.

Jimmy didn't give her any time to respond. Instead, he ran up the stairs and into his room- locking the door behind him. He flicked the light switch on, and inspected his room. Everything seemed normal. His bed sheets had giant rocket ship printed on it, he had maps of the stars posted on the ceiling, and a telescope by the window. Jimmy walked over to his desk, and opened one of the drawers.

There, sitting in the drawer- was a small blue gun. Naturally, it looked more like something from a science fiction cartoon from a few decades ago- it had fins on it, it was bulky, and it seemed to emit an unnatural glow. But it was still unmistakably a gun.

Cindy sat up straight.

She watched him pulled out the gun, and sit down in his chair. Goddard leapt up onto the desk, and put his nose on the weapon in Jimmy's hands, sniffing it curiously. Jimmy gave his dog a light scratch behind the ears. _"This is called the 'Forget-O Blaster', Goddard. I made it a few months ago, so that mom and dad would forget about moving me here..." _he trailed off.

_"It... it still had some bugs in it... Anyway- I managed to repair it, and it's currently functioning at full capacity." _he said.

_"Bark?"_

_"No, I haven't tested it yet..." _he mumbled. Jimmy stared out the window, and watched the rain. His reflection in the window was growing sadder and sadder. Cindy felt her insides beginning to twist and turn. "Jimmy..." she muttered to himself.

Jimmy sighed._ "I can't sleep anymore, Goddard. I thought it would get better when we moved away, but... I keep seeing her. Every time I close my eyes. She always looks so... sad..." _he whispered_. "I don't know if I can live like this, Goddard. I... I've read about this. When you lose somebody close to you, you enter whats called a 'mourning period'. And from what I've read... It never really ends..."_

He was focusing his attention of the Forget-O Blaster. He put his hand over the handle, and picked it up.

_"Jimmy?"_

Jimmy jumped at the sound of his mother's voice. Cindy did too. He took a deep breath, and put it down._ "Wha... what am I doing..." _he muttered to himself.

_"Are you okay, sweetheart? I know moving is hard, but... I'm sure you'll make some friends, when you get to school..." _His mother's voice was coming from outside of his room. Jimmy sighed, and looked at the window again. He looked guilty.

_"I'm sorry, mom. I'll be better in the morning- I promise."_ he called out.

_"Okay... Goodnight, my little genius. I'll see you in the morning."_

Jimmy listened to his mothers footsteps get further and further away. He sighed, and shot another glance at the Forget-O Blaster. _"I can't do it..."_ he muttered to himself._ "It hurts... real bad. But... I don't want to forget you..."_

He slowly picked up the Forget-O Blaster, and put it back in the drawer. _"Alright, Goddard... Sleep Mode." _he said. Goddard jumped from the desk onto the foot of his bed, and walked in a circle before finally lying down. He powered down, and Jimmy yawned. He slowly turned off the light, and went to bed.

There was silence for a while, as Jimmy's eyes slowly began to close.

The screen began to flicker.

_**"Neutron!" **_

Jimmy opened his eyes in an instant- and Cindy could just make out the silhouette of a person in the darkness. There was a flash of lightning. His face was still covered in black, but she recognised the weapon in his hands.

It was the Forget-O Blaster.

_"Who are you!?"_ yelled Jimmy.

The figure didn't say anything. He just pulled the trigger, sending a flash of blue light into Jimmy's face.

The screen went black.

Evil Jimmy's voice broke the silence in the air. "So... that's what happened." he mumbled. "I've never been able to remember anything between the ages of five and seven... I suppose that explains it."

Cindy opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She closed it, and frowned.

"That still wasn't good enough, though."

"What!?" yelled Cindy. "That certainly looked important to me!"

"Listen, we're dealing with _me_ here. Granted- a stupid little goody two shoes version of _me,_ but its still me, doc." said Evil Jimmy. "Look, I'm sure you know what memory you need to find. I'll even give you a little hint, since your apparently too stupid to figure it out yourself."

Cindy growled.

"Look for a memory with you in it." he said.

Cindy blinked. "Excuse me? Why would you think Neutron even_ has _any important memories with _me_ in it?" she demanded. Evil Jimmy chuckled. "Wow- And you give Jimmy trouble for being _clueless_." he said. "Just look at the screen, and think of something. Doc. It's real easy."

Cindy frowned, and focused on the screen. "Of all the stupid... Like Neutron would have one, single-"

She stopped speaking, when a familiar image flickered onto the screen.

A beautiful orange sunset over the sea. The sound of the water crashing against the sea... The screen moved, and suddenly she could see herself. She was a little dirty, but she looked happier than she had ever been before. Her eyes were focused on the sunset.

Cindy suddenly realised that she had stopped breathing. She took a deep breath.

"Oh, geeze. He's a real sap, huh?" asked Evil Jimmy.

Cindy didn't say anything.

"Alright- I need you to grab the screen, and pull." said Evil Jimmy. Cindy nodded, and slowly reached out her hand. She touched the screen, again sending ripples through it. Slowly, she pressed her fingers into it. It kind of felt like some kind of smooth plastic... She frowned, as she began to pull. It moved rather quickly. Stretching out until finally- the image jumped out of the screen. It was now in her hands, like a small ball of liquid plastic.

"Alright, good job. Took you long enough..." said Evil Jimmy. "Now just step through the door again, and everything'll be set."

Suddenly, the red lights flared up again. "IMPORTANT MEMORY THEFT, ALERT! ALL HANDS SET TO DESTROY AND RETRIEVE!" a voice boomed through the air.

"Pukin' plutonium... Hurry it up, Vortex!" he yelled.

"Well where's the door!?" yelled Cindy.

"Right in front of you!"

"No it isn't!"

"Oh... sorry. Let me just set that up for you."

Suddenly, the darkness in front of her began to swirl around. Biting her lip, and holding the memory close to her chest- she lept through the portal.

* * *

Cindy fell flat on her face, back into the city of towers. As she sat herself up, she could feel the memory beginning to float into the air. She tried to keep a grip on it, but it was pulling against her harder and harder.

"Just let it go, doc."

Cindy frowned, but did what she was told. The ball flew straight up into the air, faster and faster until it finally disappeared from sight. Then- it exploded in a mass of colors.

The colors began to swirl about in the nights sky. Beads of light began to rain down onto the city. As Cindy stood in the streets, she watched as the towers began to shine. The dull grey was replaced by thousands of bright neon lights, of all different colors. There was red, blue, green, yellow, orange, purple and even a few streaks of pink.

"Well- I'd say that's mission accomplished. Let's go, Vortex." said Evil Jimmy.

"What? Wait a minute-" Cindy didn't get the chance to finish speaking, as she suddenly felt herself being propelled through the air. The lights streaked past her in a blur- and suddenly, everything went black.

* * *

Jimmy Neutron opened his eyes. He slowly let go of Cindy and Evil Jimmy's hands, as he stretched his arms into the air and groaned. Nick, Betty, Carl and Libby were all staring at him. Evil Jimmy and Cindy's eyes flickered open as well.

Everybody continued to stare at him, as Jimmy looked around. "Oh. Hey guys. Let's try and figure out a way out of here, shall we?" he asked. Everybody was silent. Carl slowly stood himself up, and wrapped his arms around his friend.

"Your back, right?" he asked.

Jimmy nodded, and returned his friends sentiment. "Yeah... I'm okay. I remember..." he paused for a while, and frowned. "Everything..." he muttered.

"Hey, Jimmy. It's really good to have you back." said Libby. Jimmy slowly pried himself out of his friends monster hug, and smiled at her. "Thanks Libby. Hello Nick. Betty... I'll have to ask you to explain everything you've been through... and why _he's_ here..." he muttered, pointing at Evil Jimmy.

"But first- which one of you has the emergency communicator that my evil clone built?" he asked. Evil Jimmy coughed. "Got it right here,_ Jimbo_." he said, holding up the mutant cellphone. Jimmy snatched it out of his clones hands, and immediately began to fiddle with it.

"I already tried buildin' a laser. There's no way to make one powerful enough." said Evil Jimmy.

"I can see that. But- I happen to have something that might help with that..." he muttered. Jimmy pulled out a mass of wires and circuits from his pockets. "I used this earlier to hack into a security access panel. With some of the parts here, I think we should be able to construct a rudimentary Zed-Class space laser." he explained.

Evil Jimmy frowned. "We can't go for X-Class?" he asked.

Jimmy rolled his eyes. "We don't want to evaporate the space-time continuum! All we want to do is cut through your restraints, and the cell bars!" he exclaimed. Evil Jimmy sighed. "Your a real kill-joy, y'know that, doc?" he asked.

As Jimmy and Evil Jimmy began to construct their laser, Cindy watched him with a smile on her face. His boyish smile, and the spark in his eyes... It had dulled. But it was still there. She could see that now. Libby moved beside her, and gave her friend a smile.

"Hey, girl. How'd it go?" she asked.

Cindy sighed. "Well, it went okay... I guess." she said.

"Did you happen to see anything particularly important to Jimmy?" asked Libby. Cindy blushed. "Uh... Yeah, I guess... " she mumbled.

"If I were to guess as to what important memory in particular you might've seen- do you think I'd get it right?" asked Libby.

Cindy nodded.

Libby chuckled to herself. "Neutron's kind of a sap, huh?" she asked.

Cindy smiled as she watched him work. "Yeah... he is..." she mumbled, dreamily. She frowned, as she thought back to what she had seen.

'Neutron...' she thought to herself. 'Who is..._ 'she'_?"

* * *

_To be continued..._

* * *

_(AN: This was a particularly challenging chapter to write- and I will really appreciate any feedback about the flashbacks, and other scenes inside Jimmy's mind. And as usual- whether the characters seemed to be portrayed accurately. Thank you!)_


	20. Chapter 19

_Chapter Nineteen: Jimmy Neutron and the Attack of the Algae-Giants, Part 1_

He was in a hospital room. He could tell that much.

He took a deep breath. He was alone. Good. Because he had something that he needed to do.

Jet made his way out of the hospital bed. His usual spying uniform, an expensive tuxedo with the sleeves ripped off- was waiting for him at the foot of his bed. It was a little worse for wear. A few drops of blood here and there, and a few extra tares. But- it would have to do.

He went into the bathroom and took a long shower. As the water ran down his body, he stared at the drain. Watching the water swirl about and slowly disappear... it was soothing. He took another deep breath. He took his time, scrubbing himself with a small bar of soap he had found by the sink.

Once he was done, he carefully dried himself off, and put his clothes on.

Immediately, he could feel a few of the layers of nervousness he was carrying in his chest begin to melt away. He felt comfortable. He felt like he was his old self again. He frowned at his reflection, as he carefully slicked back his hair with his hands.

"Okay... what was it I had to do, again?" he wondered to himself, aloud.

He closed his eyes and tried to think.

'Doctor Moist... Always Ethical Industries...' he frowned, deeply. For some reason, his thoughts seemed... blurry. He grit his teeth. Something... something was telling him that he had to move. He grit his teeth, and tried to think- but as he did, everything seemed to blur further and further.

Finally, he stopped and took a deep breath.

"Okay... I... I have to go to Always Ethical Industries and stop... stop..." he trailed off. He knew that whatever it was- it had to be important. His brain was telling him that much, at least.

Being as careful and inconspicuous as possible, Jet slowly made his way out of the hospital, ducking behind desks and patients to avoid being seen by any of the doctors or nurses. Eventually, while hiding behind an elderly gentlemen wearing a top hat and a monocle- he managed to make it outside of the automatic doors.

He breathed in the fresh London air. "Okay, now I just need something fast and cool enough to get there in jet time..." he muttered to himself. Suddenly, Jet noticed somebody parking a motorcycle across the street. The man in the motorcycle stood himself up. He was covered in black leather, with small silver studs running down the lining of his jacket. He was wearing a big black motorcycle helmet- that covered his face.

While Jet was trying to figure out whether it was more polite to wait for the motorcyclist to leave first, or push him out of the way and tell him that he'd return it later- the motorcyclist took of his helmet. Revealing a pale, acne ridden face. He looked thin, and more than a little geeky. The addition of a pair of thick round glasses did not help.

The motorcyclist grinned to himself.

"Ah-ha! I knew that going in debt for this baby would work! I'm now so cool, it'll be impossible for I- Seymour Nimmlefarb to be without a date tonight!" he announced. Jet blinked, and crossed the street slowly.

"Hey... did I hear you say your name is 'Seymour Nimmlefarb'?" he asked.

Seymour stuck out his chest. "Yeah, that's me. What do you want you feeble little Jet Fusion wannabee?" he asked. Jet crossed his arms. "Do you happen to be familiar with the name... Jimmy Neutron?" asked Jet. Seymour scowled. "Yes... of course, I remember! That vile little brat ruined my college career by telling everybody that I ripped of his invention!" he hissed.

Jet frowned. "But... you _did_ rip of his invention. And according to the report, you went out of your way to make him miserable, too- didn't you?" he asked.

Seymour huffed. "I just made his stupid, lame little invention better! It's not my fault that the molecules were unstable enough to endanger the lives of everybody at the school!" he growled. "Oh, but I will have my revenge... All I have to do is save up enough money, and I'll be able to break into that little lab of his I've heard so much about- and steal all of the blueprints for all of his special little toys. And with a good tweaking from a brilliant mind such as my own- I will be the most rich and famous man in all the world!" he yelled.

Jet raised an eyebrow. "You know- it's not often I meet super-villains before they start with... uh... you know, _super-villainary_." he mumbled.

"I'm not a super-villain! I'm just planning on stealing from a child, becoming rich and then maybe trying to send him spiraling into despair..." Seymour began to trail off. "Oh... I guess... maybe that does... sound a little... um..."

Jet rolled his eyes. "Alright, well- obviously you've got a lot of pondering to do about your future and your state of mind. In the mean time- I'll just borrow that motorcycle of yours." said Jet. Seymour didn't say anything. He seemed to be lost in thought, as Jet carefully took his motorcycle helmet out of his hands, and put it on. Jet sat down on the motorcycle, and cleared his throat. "Hey, listen... you wanna give me the keys to this thing?" he asked.

Seymour sighed. "Say... do you know any super-villains that, um... succeeded- and went on to live rich and fulfilling lives with no consequences?" he asked.

Jet shook his head. "No, kid. They're all miserable and angry. Most of them are so angry with themselves and the monsters they've become- that they turn it onto the world. You should read this book called 'I Pity Villainy! Pity it Bad!'. I don't know the guy who wrote it- buts it's pretty good." said Jet.

Seymour nodded miserably, and reluctantly handed Jet the keys to his motorcycle. As Jet drove off- on the wrong side of the road- Seymour groaned to himself.

"Maybe I should just go to business school..."

* * *

Sheen sneezed, and carefully wiped his face against the wall. "Aw, man- I sure wish Carl was around. He always has a tissue with him. And a toothbrush.. And antibacterial cream, and sunscreen- moist kinds of creams, I guess. Oh- and talcum powder... where does he put all that stuff, anyway? In his hair?" he wondered aloud.

Sheen had been walking around hallways for the better part of an hour now, bursting into random doors and announcing that Dr Moist's plans were about to be foiled- only to find himself standing in the middle of an empty room. Some of the door knobs were electrified too. And although that made the whole thing a little more fun- it didn't do anything to help him find his friends sooner.

He sighed.

"Man... Am I going to just wind up roaming these halls forever- just talking to myself about stuff over, and over, and over, and over, and- what was I talking about? Oh yeah- Chilli fries. Man, those things are great! I'll invite Cindy and Libby to the Candy Bar later, and we'll have some chilli fries. And then, I'll call Jimmy- and tell him there was some kinda big incident... Oh! Like Retroville has been taken over by giant gumball machines, or that green screamie guy is back, and he's screamin' at stuff again. And then, when Jimmy comes over- I can make him sit next to Cindy, and then Libby and I can laugh at them for a while... Aw, man! It'll be great! Just as long as Carl doesn't bring Elke over to show off again... Curse you for giving that hefty but loveable oaf such power over incredibly beautiful, llama loving Swedish ladies!" yelled Sheen, to nobody in particular.

Eventually, Sheen stumbled onto a large black door, with the words 'Control Room' printed on it on a plaque. Sheen frowned. "Finally..." he grumbled. He kicked the door open, and cracked his knuckles.

"OKAY, EVIL DOER!" he bellowed. "SURRENDER, AND I WILL SHOW NO MERCY!"

Silence. Sheen sighed. "Oh, well... I think I messed up my line, anyway..." he muttered to himself.

The room was empty, save for a few big screens, and a a massive keyboard lying on a desk in front of them. Sheen walked over, and immediately began pressing buttons. The first one he tried was the 'Self Destruct' button. When that didn't work, he tried the 'Nuclear Detonation' button, the 'Reveal Master Plan' button, the 'Copyright Infringement!' button and a button shaped like a pink unicorn- that turned out to just be a sticker.

Finally, Sheen found the power button- and the screens lit up almost immediately.

"Alright! Now all I have to do is mush my fingers against a bunch of these keys- and I'll find my friends!" he announced. "I mean, that's how Jimmy always does it..."

So, Sheen did just that. And by some stroke of fate, or luck; footage from the security cameras began to pop up onto the screen. Sheen glanced at them, and was about to try the 'Self Destruct' button one more time, when he noticed something familiar.

In one of the small boxes showing the security cameras video feed, Sheen could see Goddard- sprawled across a dirty floor. There were different parts of him missing, and he seemed to be covered in some kind of goo. Sheen frowned. "Nobody does that to my robotic buddy!" he yelled.

"Alright! Show me how to get to where Goddard is!" he yelled.

When the computer did not respond to his orders, he frowned, and started typing furiously. "Come on... show me how to get to Goddard!" he growled. After typing for several minutes, he finally gave up. "Aw- forget it! Stupid thing! I'll go find him myself!" he yelled.

As Sheen walked away from the computer, he neglected to notice the fact that the word 'WARNING!' was now flashing on the screen. He shut the door behind him with a loud 'slam!', and went on his way to find Goddard- and then he would get back to finding Jimmy and Carl.

That was the plan. Totally fool proof.

Sheen frowned, as he noticed two giant robotic security droids approaching him from across the hallway. As he turned around and started running as fast as he could, narrowly avoiding laser blasts as he did, he couldn't help but think that while his plan was _definitely_ fool proof it might, just_ might_ be weak against giant robotic security droids.

Maybe.

* * *

"Oh, yeah? Well, if you think you can do a better job finding your way through giant underground lab, then be my guest!"

"I would! If you'd just give me the _laser!"_

"You know that I can't trust you with this! Just leave the laser handling to the trained professionals!"

"Well how am I supposed to learn if you won't let me at least hold it for a while!?"

"You'll probably cut off your own hand or something!"

"Oh please! I'm not as big a klutz as those lame brains you call friends!"

Carl felt like interjecting on that, but Libby stopped him. "Why are Jimmy and Cindy fighting again?" asked Carl. "I was sort of hoping that they'd stopped doing that forever... It sure ould be nice for my stress levels..." he mumbled. Libby smiled. "Oh, don't sweat it Carl. This is the longest they've talked to each other in ages. Besides- it's just their way of flirting." she explained.

Carl pondered this. "Oooh... So um, you guys are flirting now?" he asked.

Jimmy and Cindy stopped yelling at each other, and sent Carl the kind of withering glare that had been known to reduce grown men to tears. Carl took this as their way of politely asking him not to say things like that, and closed his mouth. Jimmy's glare softened, and then he turned his attention back to Cindy.

"Don't bring Carl and Sheen into this! They've saved the world almost as many times as I have!"

"They've also put it in mortal danger almost as many times as you have! All I'm saying is that given their track record- it seems really stupid that you would let Carl and Sheen handle laser technology and not _me_!" yelled Cindy.

"For the record- Carl can handle laser technology as long he isn't allergic to it, and Sheen... Well-..." he trailed off, looking defeated. "Aw, fine! If it means that much to you- take it! Just don't cut through the walls- you could cause this entire facility to crash down on top of us." he said.

Ignoring the now very concerned looks she was receiving from both Nick and Betty, Cindy snatched the laser device out of Jimmy's hands. "Alright, now how do you work this thing?" she asked. As Cindy began to fiddle with the device, Nick cleared his throat. "Uh... you, uh- sure you know what your doing, Cindy?" he asked. Cindy nodded, proudly. "Of course! It's just a matter of aiming, and pressing the right button, here..." she mumbled.

A burst of energy spat out of the machine in one quick jolt- leaving a giant hole in one of the walls. Cindy gulped. "O... Okay- that was my bad! I'll get it next time!" she announced. Jimmy rolled his eyes.

They had managed to climb a few flights of stairs, and cram themselves into an elevator in the short amount of time since they had escaped from the cell. Now, they were walking through a labyrinth of hallways. Jimmy and Cindy had been arguing the entire time, and this was the first reprieve that the rest of the group had gotten in what felt like forever.

However, with the silence that came with Cindy being distracted by fiddling with the laser device, and Jimmy being distracted watching her fuss with it- came a feeling of incredible awkwardness. Since Jimmy and Cindy were practically off in their own little world, it was just the group of Carl, Libby, Betty, Nick and Evil Jimmy- all walking side by side. And since they couldn't play charades while they were all walking together like this- it made it hard to come up with any kind of topic of conversation.

Finally, Carl decided to break the ice. "So, um- Nick? How do you and Betty know each other?" he asked.

Nick frowned. "Well... we're sort of like, sibling in law- I guess..." he mumbled. He didn't seem to happy about it for some reason. Naturally, Evil Jimmy and Libby were able to figure it out fairly quickly. However, Betty and Carl didn't even seem to notice.

"Oh, really? Does that mean your mom married Betty's dad?" asked Carl.

Nick nodded.

"Aw- that's so sweet. Your mom's really pretty, Nick. She's number three on my list of- What?" he asked, upon noticing the looks he was getting from the others.

"Yeah- it is sweet. Kinda disgusting, really. You should see 'em when they think they're alone... Kinda makes ya wanna rip out your eyeballs and stomp on 'em. Y'know what I mean?" asked Evil Jimmy. Carl shook his head. Evil Jimmy shrugged. "Well, lucky you..." he grumbled.

"Wait... When have you seen my parents alone together?" asked Betty. She frowned, as Evil Jimmy coughed and turned away from her. "Hey, Carl? Have you noticed that we're on a spy mission?" he asked. Carl blinked. "We are? Oh, yeah! We _are_!" he said.

Evil Jimmy covered his ears as Betty approached him with her hands on her hips. As if by instinct, Jimmy did the same.

"WE'RE SPIIIES, WE'RE REAAAL COOL GUUU-UUYS! WE'RE GONNA FIIIGHT, ANOTHER VILL-AIIIN! AND ONCE IT'S OVEEER, WE'LL HAVE SOME PIIIE! IF JIMMY'S MOM, MAKES THE PIIIE- I'LL BE A RE-AL HAPPY, GUUUY! 'CUZ WE'RE SPIIIIIEEES-" Carl sang at the very top of his lungs.

While everyone else seemed to be recoiling from the surprise attack on their ear canals, Jimmy shot Evil Jimmy a dirty look. Evil Jimmy shrugged, and shot him a cunning smirk. Jimmy rolled his eyes.

"CARL! ENOUGH!" he yelled.

"What?" asked Carl, while everybody else in the group waited for their ears to stop ringing. "I'm just singing the spy song... Because, your a spy... and I'm a spy... and Sheen's a spy too- although he's not around..." he said.

"There is a time, and a place- Carl. Why can't you just sing when your at home?" asked Jimmy. Carl pouted. "But there's music in my soul..." he mumbled. Libby put a hand on his shoulder, and used the other one to gently cradle her ear. "You can sing all you want just a little later, Carl." she said, giving him a light pat on the back. Carl smiled.

"Okay..." he said.

Before he could get away, Betty blocked Evil Jimmy's path. She scowled at him. "Tell me, now. Have you been _spying_ on my family?" she growled. Evil Jimmy sighed. "Yeah, I guess..." he mumbled. Betty's frown deepened. "For how long?" she hissed. Evil Jimmy sighed. "Just for the last, oh- I dunno... three days?" he said.

"And, _why?_" she asked.

Evil Jimmy thought about this. He frowned, and strained. Until finally, he opened his eyes and gave Betty a tired look. "Because I was bored. You know- you'd be surprised the kind of entertainment you'll find in someone elses home." he said.

Bettys face went from angry, into something unreadable- and finally it all seemed to fall away. She rolled her eyes, and walked away from him.

Evil Jimmy grit his teeth.

The group kept walking, with Jimmy and Cindy arguing loudly, Libby and Carl discussing the soul of music, and Nick and Betty making idle conversation about what he wanted for dinner when they got back.

Evil Jimmy didn't speak to anybody. Instead, he walked ahead of the group- looking grim.

* * *

Dr Moist whispered to himself.

He was in the air. Flying in a machine that the first owner had bought for him. It looked like a giant dogs bowl with a fan on the bottom. It had the first owners name scrawled across the sides of it in big black letters. Dr Moist twitched. "Ah, yes, yes- the boy truly was a little megalomaniac..." he mumbled to himself.

"Well- fear not little megalomaniac! Where ever you are!" he announced to the sullen grey clouds of the London afternoon. Dr Moist rubbed his hands together and cackled to himself, as he produced his final weapon. It looked almost like a childs science project. A little volcano, complete with a tiny pressure pump. Of course- this little volcano was made of metal, and decorated with dozens of tiny lights- but the principal was the same.

He attached a hose to the large container he was carrying, and aimed the tiny volcano up at the sky.

"AH-HAHAHA!" he cackled. "Oh, Earth! Sweet planet of mine! Soon you will know my name. Every creature... shall know my name!" he bellowed. He picked up the pressure pump- and started pumping. As he wheezed, he could feel the pressure growing inside of his little experiment. He grinned.

"Yes! Show onto this city, and this world- my creation! My child! ALGAE!" he bellowed.

A massive stream of green goo flew into the air, through the clouds. Slowly, the clouds began to darken. And then, they began to change color. Dr Moist began to tap dance. "Victory! Vic-tory!" he bellowed as he danced.

The clouds began to grow more and more dense. Until finally, small drop of green fell from the sky- hitting the streets underneath. And with that- it began to steadily increase. The droplets quickly went from the size of a drop, to a golf ball and to a baseball. Thick balls of green goo began to pelt the city of London.

The people who were hit were rendered unconscious, as those who were unfortunate enough to be driving, had their windshields completely crushed. As cars began to crash, the goo rain only seemed to get worse.

Dr Moist went silent, as he watched the people on the streets begin to scream. He held his breath. The screams would stop, soon... everything would stop... soon.

Dr Moist opened his eyes when the goo had finally stopped raining from the sky. The entire city was covered in thick layers of it. The goo was dense and heavy. It was beginning to crush everything underneath it.

He could still hear their screams.

He smiled, and ran his hands through his hair. As he listed to the screams, he slowly began to rip out tufts of his hair, and whimper to himself. After a few seconds of this, he suddenly snapped to attention. He removed the protective forcefeild he had placed over his vehicle, and pulled out a big golden cannon. The was electricity running all through it- but he knew that it wouldn't be enough.

Dr Moist smiled, as he pulled out the main battery he had stolen from his mortal enemies robotic dog. He slowly plugged it into the weapon.

The sparks intensified, and Dr Moist let out another long cackle- as he carefully placed a wire helmet atop his head. There was a long chord running from the helmet, directly to the energy cannon. He grinned, as he pulled the trigger.

Streams of power poured out of the cannon, and into the layers of goo below. Currents of electricity ran through the helmet and subsequently through Dr Moists brain as well. Dr Moist began to laugh again.

"HEAR, ME! ALGAE! RISE! I COMMAND YOU! RIIIIISE!" he screamed.

The city-wide puddle of goo began to bubble, and twist around. Slowly, dozens of forms began to rise out of it. There were dozens of giant algae men, each one of them bigger than a building. They opened their giant mouth, and gave an ear piercing scream.

Dr Moist was trembling as he pulled the cord out of the energy cannon. With that- he jumped out of his flying saucer-like vehicle. He could feel the wind crashing against his body for a few precious seconds, before he landed directly on top of one of the Giant Algae-Men. Dr Moist plugged the cord into the Algae-Giants head.

The Algae-Giant let out another massive scream, that seemed to shake the very Earth. Streaks of electricity began to wrap themselves around it, climbing up from its feet, and straight into Dr Moist's brain.

Dr Moist smiled. "This is goodbye, dear body." he mumbled, as his body slowly sank into the Algae-Giants head.

There was a long pause. And then, the Algae-Giant cleared its throat. "Good afternoon, London-town!" it bellowed. "I, am Doctor Moist! Although, I suppose you should now address me as Doctor _King_ Moist from this point on- for I am now YOUR ALGAE KING!"

After a few minutes of loud, obnoxious evil laughter, the Algae-Giant began to tap dance around the streets of London. The buildings shook, and the few cars that had survived the algae-rain, suddenly found themselves on the bottom of one of the Algae-Giants feet.

"Alright, my Algae-Giants!" bellowed Dr Moist. "We must collect all of the people together in one place. Once we have turned them into our own personal soldiers- We will be ready to take the rest of Europe- and then the world!"

As Dr Moist's laughter continued to shake the city, one person- hidden away in a special shelter he had built just for these kinds of situations, rubbed his temples in a vain attempt to try and combat an oncoming migraine. He could hear a ringing in his ear. It took him a moment to realise that this wasn't the result of Dr Moist's deafening laughter- but the small ear piece he was wearing. He put his finger on a small button on the ear piece and cleared his throat.

"Yeah, what?" he grumbled.

"Um, Mister Boss... It appears that the prisoners have escaped, mein herr..." said the voice on the other end. The Boss frowned. "Oh, of course they have... have you had a visit from Agent Fusion yet?" he asked.

"No, sir..."

"Well, expect one. I sent him there to blow up Always Ethical Industries, and to retrieve the cure serum for me. Should he get that done, I outta be able to bring this Moist guy down a peg or two." said the Boss.

"Okay... Mein her... You sound a little different... perhaps I should begin accompanying you again..."

The Boss growled. He had forgotten to pretend to be Eustace Strych. He took a deep breath. "I say, Blix! Tally-ho and all that! No, no- just evacuate our little laboratory and don't worry about saving any of the gadgets. We shall simply buy some more. Understand?" asked the Boss.

The voice in the ear-piece apparently responded quickly. "Very good, mein herr. What should I do about the escaped prisoners?" he asked.

The Boss sighed. "Oh, I don't know. Just leave them alone. I had hoped to capture the one with the red eyes, but as it happens- we have other things that simply must take priority."

"Yes, mein herr. Signing out."

The Boss scowled, and sat back in his chair. Pretending to be Eustace Strych was exhausting, even if it only meant putting on a pompous faux-English accent. The boss ran one of his little hands through his hair. He continued to think, while the Algae-Giants rampaged outside.

The way he saw it- he had two choices. Either run away now, and not have to deal with Dr Moist or a potentially dark matter infested Jimmy Neutron- or stay, and use the chaos as a chance to kidnap the aforementioned Jimmy Neutron, and dissect him for analysis.

The Boss picked up a small screen, and began to flick his finger across it. Pages of data sped past with every flick of a finger. He smiled. "These new touch-pad things are great..." he muttered to himself. "I wonder if there are any games on this thing... No- wait, I have a job to do..." he grumbled.

Eventually, he came to a page of readings. It was his own vital signs. They all looked normal- everything but his brain. It was still covered in the inexplicable black substance known as 'dark matter'. He frowned. Anybody who had done research into dark matter- all across the universe- would eventually die because of it. And according to the alien data he had collected, the cause was always this.

'Dark Matter Poisening'.

The Boss frowned. All of the other alien researchers had eventually went mad, and finally their entire bodies turned to ash. This usually happened in a manner of days after the dark matter first made contact with them. But- there were a few rare exceptions. But no matter what affect the dark matter seemed to have on the body- it always meant one thing.

The end.

The Boss sighed. He really wished he had known about that _before_ he stole all of Eustace Strych's research into it. And he was sure that Eustace Strych would regret it even more- if he could.

* * *

Sheen was running as fast as he could, and wishing with all of his might that he had his N-Men packet with him. Not just because he would stand a better chance at out running the army of security droids that were closing in on him- but because he really needed to find a bathroom. And as Vibrating-Sheen, he might be able to visit that public toilet in Beijing that he liked.

His ankle was screaming with pain- but Sheen ignored it. He just squeezed Goddard tighter in his arms, and tried to pick up his pace.

Whoever had programmed the security robots had obviously neglected to program them with any accuracy. As Sheen ran, fell over, stood himself up and dusted himself off for the third time, the laser shots seemed to hit everything but him. Sheen had enough time to carefully scoop Goddard back up, and continue running for his life.

"Boy, Goddard- I sure wish you were awake right now..." he grumbled, as one of the droids finally just threw its laser cannon at him. Sheen ducked, and it missed him by a few measly millimeters. The droid would have scowled if it were capable of any kind of facial expression. "HEY! Watch where your throwin' stuff!" yelled Sheen. "Ya could've really hurt me, y'know!?"

Hearing this, the other droids began to throw their weapons at him as well. The weapons themselves, while technically less fatal than the high powered lasers they had been shooting at him before- still really hurt. They were more accurate in throwing than they were at shooting, apparently. A few of the guns bounced off of the back of Sheens head as he kept running.

Unbeknownst to Sheen, he had managed to stumble all the way out of the 'Secret Sector' of Always Ethical Industries, and into the 'Normal' sector. As he ran through a room filled with cubicles and groups of bored looking middle-aged people. the droids continued to chase after him. Once they had run out of laser-cannons to throw at him, they began to pick up and throw the cubicles, chairs, computers and the bored middle-aged workers at him.

Sheen ducked, rolled, jumped, laughed, and got hit by a few of the more bored looking workers as he made his way through the room. Suddenly, there was a low rumble- followed by an ear-shattering burst of laughter. Suddenly, a giant green hand burst through the wall. It slowly spread itself out, slowly making its way over everything in the room. Sheen could hear some of the workers and the droids scream as they were sucked into the mass of green slime, and slowly pulled out of the building.

Sheen crept up to the massive hole that the giant slime creature had left in its wake. He watched, as the giant green creature brought its hand up to its mouth, and casually threw the screaming robots and droids into its massive mouth. It let out a long burp. Then, it noticed Sheen- holding Goddard in his arm and cowering in fear.

"AH! NO! DON'T EAT ME GIANT GREEN THIIING!" he screamed. The Algae-Giant ignored Sheen's screams of protest, as it extended its hand over to him.

"HEY! STOP IT YOU GIANT PILE OF MUCAS!" came a voice from street level. A small rock flew up into the air- and bounced off of the Algae-Giants face. It paused, and growled angrily. Sheen glanced down. On the side walk, Jet Fusion was yelling angrily at the giant monster. Sheen smiled.

"Oh, hey Jet! What's goin' on!?" he yelled.

"Get down here, kid!" yelled Jet.

Sheen shrugged, and jumped onto the Algae-Giants extended arm. He ran up it, and onto the Algae-Giants shoulder. The Algae-Giant sluggishly grabbed at him, and Sheen jumped again. As he fell, he dug his hand into the giants stomach, with his other arm still wrapped tightly around Goddard. He slid down for a while, and finally let go as the Algae-Giant continued to grab at him.

He fell, only to be caught by Jet. "Kid- are you cra... Oh, right. Your the one called 'Sheen', right?" asked Jet, as he carefully set Sheen down onto his feet. "That's me! So. What's up, Jet? Dated any supermodels lately?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Jet ignored him, as the Algae-Giant gave a furious scream, and stomped its feet. The ground shook, as Jet grabbed Sheen by the arm and pulled him towards his motorcycle.

Jet sat down and turned the key. Sheen sat behind him, still cradling Goddard. The motorcycle sputtered into life. It was covered in a thick layer of slime- but it began to fly off as the motorcycle picked up speed. The wheels slid across the slime that had coated the streets. As they slipped and slided, the bike ended up standing on its back wheel. Jet grit his teeth, and skidded around.

"It's alright, kid. Everything is going to be-"

Jet was interrupted, when a giant green hand fell out of the sky- and landed directly on top of them with a loud 'splat!'. Sheen and Jet could feel themselves being lifted up into the air- covered in the green ooze. Finally, they were thrown into the Algae-Giants gaping wide mouth.

Sheen and Jet fell into the darkness, eventually landing on a massive squishy surface. It was dark- but Sheen could just make out the faces of the workers, and the security droids all bunched up into groups, looking miserable.

Everything around them began to rumble, as the Algae-Giant began to move.

Sheen glanced at Goddard, and then back at Jet. "So... about those supermodels..."

Jet put his head in his hands, and groaned.

* * *

Jimmy frowned.

"Come on, Nerd-tron! I'd like to get out of this place before we all go _senile!_" Cindy hissed.

"How would you be able to tell, Vortex?" he asked.

As Cindy scowled, Jimmy continued to search ever door they passed by for either a computer- or some kind of chemistry set. After another hour of this, Cindy's patience had begun to wear thin. However, Nick interrupted her before she could yell at Jimmy some more.

"Look, Neutron- I'm with Cindy. What're you doing, anyway?" he asked. Jimmy sighed. "A good friend of mine has been afflicted with a virus that your captor created a year ago. He has been known to keep an antidote close by... Also- there's a good chance that we might find Sheen or Goddard somewhere around here..." he explained.

"You sure about that, Chief?" asked Evil Jimmy. "That guy seemed to have more than a few screws loose- maybe he's forgotten all about the antidote at this point. That'd probably explain why he's _green_ now..."

"Even if he isn't carrying vials of it anymore- as long as I can find some date on the mutant algae, then I should easily be able to synthesize the antidote myself. In fact- I can do it without the lab if I can find Goddard, too." Jimmy explained.

"Yeah... Um, Jimmy? How much time do we have left, anyway?" asked Carl. Jimmy frowned. "I don't know, Carl. Dr Moist appears to be using some kind of new mutant algae for the transformation. It may very well be too late already. That's why I have to hurry..." Jimmy turned to face the rest of the group. "I might be another hour in my search for the antidote and/or data. In which case, you guys might want to go on ahead. If you want to go- then go. I'm sure that my evil clone can fly the rocket." he said.

Evil Jimmy shrugged. "Sure- what do you say, Betty?" he asked. Betty shook her head, but didn't look at him.

"I'm stayin' if she's stayin'" said Nick.

"I wanna stay here at least until we find that hyperactive dork... oh, and Goddard." said Libby.

Carl smiled, and patted his best friend on the shoulder. "I'll stay here to help, Jimmy." said Carl. Jimmy smiled. "Thanks Carl... What about you, Cindy?" he asked. Cindy bared her teeth. "Well, it's not like I have a _choice._" she spat. Evil Jimmy laughed. "Oh, sure. You have a choice, Miss _Loud-mouth_. I'll take ya home- you can go down to the Candy Bar and eat some ice-cream while everybody else stands around here thinkin' about how much of a jerk you are." he said.

Cindy frowned, and was about to say something- when Jimmy stepped in front of her. "She is not a jerk!" yelled Jimmy. Evil Jimmy laughed, again. "Oh, please. You know that I'm _you_ right? Or at least, a much more handsome- smarter version of you." he winked at Betty when he said this. Betty ignored him. "I remember all of the things she's done to us. The spit-balls, the ink traps, the tacks on the seat, the water balloons filled with oil and ketchup- now sure, we fought back. But you know as well as I do that she _started_ it." Evil Jimmy growled.

Jimmy frowned. "Okay sure, she's kind of a jerk-"

"Hey!"

Jimmy ignored Cindy's protests, and continued. "But there's nothing wrong with wanting to go home. There's nothing wrong with not wanting to risk your life with something that doesn't concern you." he said. Jimmy's voice had begun to quiver with anger. Everybody else grew silent, as Evil Jimmy took a step closer to Jimmy.

"Oh, yeah? How many times have you yelled at people for doing exactly that!? Aren't you supposed to hate that kind of hypocrite, oh, _goody-two shoes_?" asked Evil Jimmy. "Don't tell me you think its okay to make an exception for _her?"_

"She has done enough! She and my friends... they've saved the world _and_ the universe, _countless _times! If they don't want to have to put everything on the line again and again... Fine! They've earned it!" yelled Jimmy.

"Oh? Is this still about_ them_?" hissed Evil Jimmy. "Or did we suddenly start talking about _you_ again, doc?" he asked.

Jimmy went silent.

"Oh-ho! Well would ya look at that! Right again! Oh, what a_ surprise_!" said Evil Jimmy.

"Shut up. You don't know anything, _clone_." Jimmy spat. Evil Jimmy grinned. "Oh? I _don't, _do I? And what if I told you that I've developed a dark matter mutated brain- much like your own? And what would you say if I told you that I've already went back into my own brain... and recovered the memories that were_ lost_..." he asked.

Jimmy flinched. "This doesn't have anything to do with_ her_!" he yelled.

"But it does, _Jimbo_. Everything did- even when you didn't remember her, it was _always _about her. And now, let me guess. Now that you remember everything... now that you remember what _you _did... everything started to look a little more _bleak_, hasn't it?" asked Evil Jimmy. "Did you finally realise just how meaningless it is to play_ hero_?"

Jimmy frowned, and took a deep breath. "You wouldn't have been able to do anything different, clone." he said. Evil Jimmy snarled. "Of course I would have! I would have _saved_ her!" he hissed. Jimmy looked at him, and shook his head.

"This_ conversation _is what's meaningless, Evil Jimmy." said Jimmy. With that, he walked away. Evil Jimmy scowled, and struggled to regain his composure. He quickly noticed that everybody else was staring at him. Evil Jimmy flashed them a smile. "Sorry, kids. Shows over. You'd better follow your leader..." he growled.

Carl walked away. Followed eventually by Nick, and then Libby. Cindy left second to last- leaving Betty to be the last person standing there in place, staring at him. Evil Jimmy frowned.

"_What_?" he growled.

Betty frowned at him, and put her hands on her hips. "What was that?" she finally asked.

Evil Jimmy scowled. "I went into my brain and pulled out some old memories. Apparently- I should've left them in the darkness..." he trailed off. "But at least I know why he's always wanted to be a _hero,_ I guess..." he mumbled.

He walked away.

Betty trailed behind him.

Suddenly, Jimmy's voice echoed down the halls. "I've found it! I've found the main control room!" he yelled. Evil Jimmy frowned, and began to run in order to catch up. Betty did the same. By the time they reached the room that everybody else was in, they were doing their best not to seem out of breath.

Jimmy glanced at them, and then turned back to the computer. "The keys are all sticky..." he muttered to himself. "I'll pull up some security footage."

A window opened on the screen, showing security footage of the room that they were standing in- ten minutes ago. Just as Jimmy had suspected, it showed Sheen limping into the room, and proceeding to rub his hands over every button he could. Jimmy sighed. As he followed Sheen with the security cameras, he watching him find Goddard- and then get chased away by security droids.

Jimmy sighed. "Libby? It looks like Sheen is okay." he said. Libby decided not to ask Jimmy why he had felt like it was so important to relay that information only to _her_, lest it turn into an uncomfortable conversation. So, she cleared her throat and changed the subject.

"Uh... What about antidote stuff? Is there any antidote stuff in there?" she asked.

"Well, I should be able to hack into the top secret documents using this stuff... It'll take a few minutes. I'll print out a map of the layout of this place so we can get out of here, too." he said.

"Oh... good."

"Sheen's going to be fine."

"I heard you the first time."

"Oh, I just wanted to make sure you knew."

"Well, I _do._"

"You_ do _what?"

"I know that Sheen's going to be fine."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Good."

"Yeah, it is _good_."

"The thing that's good of course, being the fact that Sheen is going to be fine. Right?"

Jimmy noticed Libby slowly rising her fist into the air. He spun around, quickly. "Now, now- there's no need for that... I was just, uh..." he trailed off. Libby continued to raise her fist, prompting Jimmy to continue. "Okay- listen, I was just using you as a... well, sort of like... a diversion." he explained.

Libby frowned, and slowly lowered her fist of wrath.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

Jimmy glanced over at Cindy. It looked like she was making small talk with Nick. Actually, they were looking a little too close... He shook that off, and sent his attention back to Libby. "Look, that argument that I just had with my evil clone? You may have noticed a reference to my memory- and a girl, correct?" he asked.

Libby frowned. "Yeah... I did happen to pick up on that- but I was just going to ask Carl about that a little later..." she said. Jimmy frowned. "Carl doesn't know about it, either. Neither does Goddard, or my parents. Nobody but Evil Jimmy and I know about it..." he trailed off. "I know Cindy has seen at least a piece of it... and I don't want to give her a chance to ask about it."

"Why?" asked Libby. Jimmy sighed. "I don't... I don't want to talk about it... with anybody. And I feel like if _she _asked... with... with... that little glint of genuine concern in her eyes... My, uh... emotions might get the best of me." he explained, sheepishly.

It took her a while to think about how to respond to that. In the background, she could hear Evil Jimmy picking a fight with Nick and Cindy, and consequently getting chastised by Betty.

Libby took a deep breath. "Why would you tell me that? You know I don't have the best track record with keeping secrets..." she mumbled. Jimmy smiled. "When you tell her- make sure you let her know that I _don't_ want to talk about it- and that I told you this in confidence. She won't want too- but I'm sure it'll be enough to keep her quiet." he said.

Libby put her hands on her hips, and frowned. "Have you always been so diabolical?" she asked.

Jimmy nodded.

"Yes. Yes I have."

Libby rolled her eyes, and walked away to join her best friend near the entrance.

After a few more minutes, Carl approached him with a concerned look on his face. "Hey, Jimmy? Are you going to be much longer? My mom says that if I keep disappearing from week to week, she'll stop buying me llama dolls- and the new llama doll with stylable hair is coming soon, so..." he trailed off.

"I'm just finishing now, Carl." said Jimmy. "I just thought I'd check the security footage outside to make sure everything's okay..."

"Really? Why's that, Jim?" asked Carl.

"Well... As you know, I have long since disregarded the notion that a persons 'feelings' may be able to predict oncoming phenomena. For example- your father claims that his bunion glows in the dark before it rains, correct?" he asked.

Carl nodded.

"Well, that's just a chemical reaction caused by the foot cream I created to help him fight off the listering and the... well, uh... you know..." Jimmy trailed off.

"The puss-splosions?" suggested Carl.

Jimmy nodded grimly. "Yes... those. Anyway- despite my lack of belief of the humans abilities in respect to a 'sixth sense', I have found that every now and again- I will get a sinking feeling in my stomach. Now- I know that it is hypocritical of me- but I can't help but feel that it may be safer to nonetheless give the 'sixth sense' feeling the benefit of the doubt, as long as doing so will not cause any long term or short term problems." he explained.

"Oh... okay." said Carl.

Jimmy and Carl observed the streets through a small security camera by the entrance to Always Ethical Industries. Soon, they watched Jet Fusion arrive at the door. Jimmy and Carl sent each other a confused glance. After Jet had walked inside- everything was covered in goo- including the motorcycle that he had arrived on- and the camera lens.

Jimmy gulped.

"O-kay... Um, everybody?" Jimmy called out. When none of the others seemed to pay him any heed, Jimmy stood up out of the chair. "EVERYBODY!" he bellowed. Everyone went quiet.

"We have a situation."

* * *

_To be continued..._

* * *

_(AN: There will be a slight delay between these last few chapters, as I try to work out the ending. Plus- I wanna track down some Beta's. Any-who, I've written the next chapter, and I'll post it next week. Please review. And thank you to those of you who have.)  
_


	21. Chapter 20

_Chapter Twenty: Jimmy Neutron and the Attack of the Algae-Giants, Part 2_

Sheen and Jet found themselves being vomited out of a giant algae monster, along with the security droids and office workers, into a massive crowd of people.

Although they had both been on a lot of adventures in their own respective fields- this happened to be a first for both of them. Sheen and Jet found themselves squished between a group of old men in top hats who were complaining about the weather, and ladies wearing massive puffy frocks who were complaining that giant monsters simply didn't have the same kind of manners that they did in_ their _day.

While the rest of the crowd were busy agreeing with the ladies in puffy frocks, and asking when they would get a break for 'a quick spot of tea', Sheen and Jet made their way over to the giant slimy barriers that towered over them from each side. More of the Algae-Giants were approaching the barriers, and throwing up more people into the every growing crowd.

Eventually, Jet and Sheen managed to find their own little space- so that they could discuss what they could do next.

"And you're saying that the Oompa-Loompa's were in on it too!?" asked Sheen. Jet nodded. "Uh-huh. But enough about my mission in the Chocolate Factory." he said, ignoring Sheens disappointed look. "We need to come up with a plan. Any suggestions?"

Sheen thought for a moment. "I dunno... We could try setting fire to the slime. Would that help?" he asked.

Jet shook his head.

"Well, I'm all out of ideas. You?" asked Sheen.

"We have to escape this place and find Jimmy. And we need to do it before the army gets wind of this." said Jet. "Really? I thought that the English army were all about peace, love and being jerks to each other until the band breaks up." said Sheen. Jet shook his head. "No... no, I'm pretty sure your thinking of something else." said Jet.

"Didn't they write that song about turning into walruses?" asked Sheen.

Jet sighed. "No. Look, kid- are you insane? Or are you just trying to be the comic relief?" he asked.

Sheen shrugged. "I dunno. Probably both. But, listen. I got separated from Jimmy and Carl a while back, and they're probably stuck in some kinds cell or somethin'. They'll probably escape, but I don't really know how long it'll take... in the meantime, can you look at Goddard?" he asked, holding Goddard's limp body up to Jets face. "I don't know how to fix 'im... Can you?"

Jet took the robot dog into his arms, and frowned. "Well, it looks like a few of his power circuits have been ripped out... and- he's missing a battery.." muttered Jet.

"Can you fix him?" asked Sheen.

Jet shook his head. "Not without the right kind of battery... or maybe some other kind of power source." he explained. Sheen thought about this for a moment, and then turned to face the crowd. "HEEEEY! DO ANY OF YOU GUYS HAVE A BIG BATTERY, OR... OR SOME OTHER KINDA POWER SOURCE!?" he bellowed.

The crowd ignored him, and began to talking amongst themselves. Just as Sheen was about to give up- he noticed the security droids all hustled together in a group, playing cards. He approached them and cleared his throat. "HEY, YOU GUYS!?" he yelled. One of the droids turned to face him.

"We do not have ears- this does not mean that we are deaf." it said in a flat tone. Sheen looked sheepish. "Aw, sorry. I was just wondering... Since you guys are an unstoppable security force... right?" he asked.

The droids nodded collectively.

"Well, then- do any of you guys have a spare battery for my friend, here?" he asked, holding Goddard up in his arms.

"We are on break. Do not disturb us with such-..." the droid went silent. "Is... Is that a mechanical canine?" it asked. Sh

The droid turned to the rest of the group. "Heeey. Do any of you have some spare batteries?" it asked. One of the other droids pulled out a massive block from its chest, and threw it at the first droid. Then, it went back to playing cards. The droid carefully inserted the battery into Goddard, moved a few wire around- and suddenly, Goddard sprang to life.

"Bark! Bark!" he yelped, before giving the droid a big lick across the face.

"Oh, you are a sweet little doggy, aren't you?" the droid asked. It was a little creepy to hear something say that in an emotionless synthesised voice, but Sheen was too happy now to care. "Goddard! It's awesome to see you!" he yelled. "Can you take me outta here, and find Jimmy and Carl?" he asked.

"Bark! Bark!" said Goddard. Suddenly, Goddard began to change shape- 'Fly Cycle Mode; Activated'. "Bark! Bark!" said Goddard. Sheen grinned. "Awesome! I've always wanted to ride a dog-cycle!" he yelled, as he sat on the seat and put his hands on the handlebars. "Are you going to be okay, Jet? I'm going to go find Jimmy." he announced.

Jet sighed. "Yeah, sure. You know where to find me." he said.

"Okay! Goddard- BLAST OFF!" he yelled. With that, Goddard and Sheen rocketed into the sky. Jet sighed again, and turned to face the droids. "Alright, deal me in." he said.

The droids thought about this for a moment, and then shrugged.

"The game is 'Poker'." said one of the droids, as it began to slowly redistribute the cards.

Jet sat down, and sighed. This wasn't the first time he had played a game of poker against a group of faceless droids. As more people were spewed into the crowd from above, he had to hope that Sheen would get to Jimmy safely, and quickly. Because he really didn't want this to be the last poker game he would ever play.

Unless he won, of course.

* * *

Few things annoyed Jimmy Neutron more than Cindy Vortex. And even though he knew that the fate of the entire world might be on stake he couldn't seem to stop himself from arguing with her.

'Well, not this time' he told himself. 'This is serious... So no matter what she says; I am not going to argue with her.'

"Oh, great. Leave it to Nerdtron to throw everybody into one of his stupid adventures again." growled Cindy. Jimmy twitched. He was about to remind her that she was more than welcome to leave- when instead he took a deep breath, and decided to ignore her.

"It appears that the giant creatures had already taken complete control of the city. As we speak, they appear to be gathering all of the people in one place, near the center of the city." Jimmy explained. "So what do you expect us to do about it Nerdtron? I don't know if you've noticed, but we don't have our N-Men powers, or any weapons... And they kind of have us beat in size _and_ numbers. What're you going to do? Do math at them?" asked Cindy.

Jimmy groaned, and hoped that somebody else would speak. He looked at the rest of the group. They all looked completely clueless- with the exception of Evil Jimmy, who just looked annoyed. Like he always did. With a frown, Jimmy faced Cindy- determined not to let himself get into an argument. Or let himself get distracted by that face of hers, and that remarkable shade of pink that her lips seemed to-

Everybody in the group jumped, as Jimmy slapped himself across the face. The sound left an echo, that seemed to ring on forever during the awkward few seconds that followed. Jimmy ignored the groups odd looks, and continued to speak to Cindy.

"Alright- The first strategy that comes to mind is to split up so as to cover more ground. While I have theories as to what Dr Moist may be planning to do with the people he has captured- they will only remain theories unless one of us is able to confront him, and get him to tell us his entire plan." he explained. Cindy frowned. "Okay- and which one of us do want to send out into the land of green giants to do _that?_" she asked. Jimmy shook his head. "I'll decide that later. For now, though- I'm going to try and synthesis a new chemical using the data I've managed to find on the mutated algae- and the formula for the antidote, that we can use to defend ourselves against the algae. First though..." he frowned.

"I'll have to try and synthesis the actual antidote first- and give each of you a bottle, in case you find yourselves infected." said Jimmy.

Cindy raised an eyebrow. "Infected?" she asked.

Jimmy nodded. "Yes. When Carl, Sheen and I first met Dr Moist, we were fed some algae that slowly began to turn us into algae-men. Those are the creatures that you and the others were captured by; and the giants appear to be simply giant versions of them. Anyway- there is no telling whether this new mutated algae still required consumption in order for the transformation to begin. It seems like it might- considering the fact that we have all come in contact with the algae at some point, and we haven't begun to turn green..." Jimmy trailed off.

"Yeah- I've eaten a whole bunch of it off the walls, and I feel fine." said Carl, rubbing his belly with a satisfied look on his face.

Jimmy and Cindy gave him a look.

"What? I got a little hungry... You know it's not good to miss lunch..." he mumbled.

Jimmy frowned. "We had better synthesis the antidote quickly just in case- Carl? How many times have I told you not to eat mysterious goo?" he asked. Carl thought about this for a few minutes. "Um... twelve times?" he asked. Jimmy sighed. "Well, at least your keeping count..." he grumbled.

"Alright- Evil Jimmy? Can you go out and look for some materials we can use to make a few S-Class Goo Propellers?" asked Jimmy. Evil Jimmy sighed. "We'll need to hit them from the air, doc. We'll get stomped on, otherwise." he said, his tone betraying a sense of impatience. Jimmy nodded. "Your right..." he muttered.

Evil Jimmy rolled his eyes, and walked out of the room.

"Um, are you sure it's wise to trust your Evil Clone with... uh... whatever you just said, Jimmy?" asked Carl. Jimmy glanced at Betty. She was leaning against the wall, looking like she was lost in thought. Jimmy sighed, and nodded. "Yeah...I have a theory on his weakness." he said.

"Oh... okay." said Carl.

"Hey, Neutron? Isn't that your dog on the screen?" asked Nick. Jimmy glanced at him, and then back on the computer. Sure enough- the security footage from outside the building showed Goddard flying through the air. Jimmy gulped. Sheen was riding him... and it looked like he was laughing maniacally.

"Uh... I'm going to go to the entrance and hope that they make it here before Sheen crashes my dog..." said Jimmy. "Everyone, meet Sheen, Evil Jimmy and I at the laboratory. I'll mark it one the map..." he muttered. After searching for a pen, and putting a circle around the 'Always Ethical Secret Lab of Horrific Despair'- Jimmy handed the map to Carl, and left without a word.

"Hold up- I'll follow you."

Jimmy smiled. "I told you before; Sheen'll be fine." he said.

Libby frowned. "Just shut your big mouth and lead the way." she growled.

* * *

"Hey, Goddard?"

"Rrgh?"

"Do you think I should cut my hair?"

"Bark?"

"Well, I dunno... I mean, I think I'm like- fourteen or something this year... And, well- maybe I should get rid of the spikes."

"Bark! Bark!"

"Of course I love them! But maybe I need to start looking even more mature-er, for- uh... for Libby."

"Bark."

Sheen sighed. He had been riding Goddard across the skies for a few minutes now, and it looked like they were about to reach their destination. Always Ethical Industries was covered in slime and ruin when they arrived at the entrance. Sheen carefully stepped off of Goddard, and tried not to slip on the slime.

After slipping over face first into the slime for the tenth time, Sheen finally decided to sit down in a huff. "So, Goddard... does Jimmy talk to you about his feelings and junk?" asked Sheen. Goddard nodded. "Are you good at giving advice?" asked Sheen. Goddard nodded again.

"Okay... Well, then... how should I get Libby to be my girlfriend again?" asked Sheen.

Goddard opened up his chest, revealing a small screen. Words appeared on the screen after a few seconds, and Sheen squinted at them as he read them out.

"Op... shun... one... 'Approach her, and express your feelings in a calm and mature way'... hmmm... NEXT!" yelled Sheen. Another option appeared on Goddards screen, and once again, Sheen read it out loud.

"Option... two. 'Examine whether or not you can truly provide her with the happiness you feel she deserves, and mope if you think you can not'... Man- all of these suggestions are too serious. Don't you have any_ joke _options?" asked Sheen. Goddard pondered this for a moment, and then another suggestion entered the screen.

"'Take your stupid teenage angst somewhere else you stupid-' ... Hey! That's just mean! I mean, sure- it's kinda witty... But still mean!" yelled Sheen.

"Bark! Bark!"

"It is_ not _really simple!"

"Bark!"

"Oh... really? I guess it is kinda simple then..." muttered Sheen.

Sheen stood himself up, carefully- and opened the front door. He had only taken a few short steps, when he suddenly crashed into something. Once he found himself on the floor, it took him a while to realise that he landed on top of somebody. And when he realises just who that somebody was, he completely froze.

Libby grit her teeth. "Get offa me, Sheen!" she growled. Sheen didn't move. Instead, he kept staring at her. He wondered if he was hallucinating. That was probably it. After all- Libby hadn't come with them on the BTSO mission, did she? Sheen frowned as he tried to remember. Finally, he decided to ask her.

"Are you one of them watcha-call-its?" he asked.

"Excuse me?"

"You know... a mirage?" he asked.

Libby frowned. "No. I'm not. Now get offa me- your heavy." she growled. Sheen considered this for a moment. "Do I have to?" he asked.

"Excuse me?" growled Libby.

"Well, I dunno... can't I just stay like this forever?" he asked.

In the background, Jimmy cleared his throat. When that did nothing to gain his friends attention, he decided to pull Sheen away by force. "No! Mirage-Jimmy! I don't wanna go!" he yelled in protest, as Jimmy pulled him by the arm with all the force he could muster. FInally, Libby pushed him off of her with a blow to the stomach. As she stood herself up, and tried to wipe some of the green goo out of her clothes, Sheen coughed and sputtered on the floor.

"Oh... you _were_ real..." he muttered.

Libby nodded. "Mmhmm... Thanks for the assist, Neutron." she said. Jimmy shrugged. "Any time."

As Sheen stood himself up, he was suddenly knocked over again when Goddard sped past him and jumped into Jimmy's arms. "Bark! Bark!" he barked, as he nuzzled his face against Jimmy's face. "Aw... It's good to see you too, Goddard." said Jimmy, giving his mechanical friend a scratch behind the ears. "Are the two of you okay?" asked Jimmy.

Sheen shrugged. "Uh-huh."

Goddard nodded.

"Good... Oh- and Sheen?" asked Jimmy. Before Sheen could ask Jimmy what he wanted, he received a sharp blow on the head. "OW! What was that for!?" he yelled. Jimmy pointed to a small patch on the shirt pocket of his janitor costume. It looked like something had been ripped off of it. Then, he pulled out a small sewing patch from his pocket.

It read 'Vortex Lover'.

Sheen gulped. "Oh... _that_... that was Carl's idea!" he yelled. Jimmy scowled. "Oh, really? Because Carl said the same thing about _you_." he said. "What!? That fink! Don't trust him, Jimmy! He's a liar! A liar and a fraud!" he bellowed. As Sheen continued to yell about Carl's complete and total lack of trustworthiness, Libby quickly snatched the patch out of Jimmy's hand.

"Ah- Wait! Libby! Don't read that!" yelled Jimmy.

As soon as her eyes hit the patch, Libby was thrown into a fit of laughter. Jimmy sighed, as Goddard joined in soon after. "Good one, Sheen!" said Libby. Sheen smiled, and stuck out his chest. "Oh- you liked that, huh? Yep, it was all my idea." he boasted.

Jimmy cleared his throat again. "Oh? _Really?_" he hissed.

Sheen sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Um... Sorry, Jimmy..." he muttered. Jimmy sighed. "Alright- come on. Let's go meet everybody in the Lab of Horrific Despair." he said.

"Cool!" yelled Sheen. "I love the name."

With that, Jimmy, Libby, Sheen and Goddard made their way back down into the lower levels of Always Ethical Industries.

* * *

The Boss took a deep breath.

He had a choice to make. Either escape- or take control of the situation. His brain told him that he would have a better chance of living if he simply left. But his pride wouldn't let him. And in the end- his pride won.

The Boss pressed a small button by the door. Slowly, two massive portions of the city began to separate. All of the buildings and cars around it began to crumble, as the chasm grew. Finally, the Earth stopped moving. And something began to rise out of the darkness.

It was the size of a skyscraper. Massive and colored a bright blue. With twin red strips running down the middle. It was a giant mecha-humanoid, and the Boss' greatest achievement. He had hoped to save it for taking over the Earth- but it would do just as well fighting off the Algae-Giants. The Boss frowned. At least- it better do well against the Algae-Giants. He had spent all of Eustace Strych's money buying the materials for it- and he wanted to get his moneys worth.

The Boss entered a small door in the robots ankle, and rode an elevator all the way up into the robots chest. As he entered the control room, he could feel the smile on his face.

This was going to be fun.

* * *

Dr Moist had been cackling and dancing for the better part of an hour, when he felt the Algae grow restless. He frowned, and moved his massive new body around. There, standing in front of him; was the biggest robot he had ever seen.

"WHO GOOOES THERE!?" he bellowed.

The robot laughed. "Doctor Moist. Did you really think you could get away with using my money to fund your little conquest? You know all too well that I would never allow that." it spat in a snobbish accent.

Dr Moist snarled. "You can stop pretending, _'Boss'_! Eustace Strych disappeared some time ago! I know who you _really_ are!" he screamed.

"Oh? Well, I geuss ya really are smarter than ya look, huh- pal?"

The Algae-Giant Dr Moist cracked his knuckles and roared. "YOU WERE ON THAT LEAGUE OF VILLAINS, WEREN'T YOU!" he bellowed. The robot shrugged. "Uh-huh. So?" it asked.

"I wasn't invited..." Dr Moist muttered. "I... wasn't good enough... just worthless... worthless... worthless... DON'T CALL ME NAMES!" he bellowed.

From inside the control room of the giant robot, the Boss frowned. "Wow... your really insane, aren't you?" he asked. Dr Moist shuddered. "FLATTERYYY, is flattering, but... NOWHERE IT'LL GET YOU!" he yelled.

The Boss frowned. "Uh- you kinda got your words a little jumbled... Look- how about you just reveal my identity so we can get to the savage beating?" he growled.

Dr Moist looked at him. "Oh? And you are?" he asked.

The Boss sighed. "Eddie. Baby Eddie. That clear things up for ya?" he yelled.

Dr Moist scratched his head. Then he stared at him for a while. Baby Eddie began to feel uncomfortable. "Look- I wasn't all that secretive about it- and... Will you stop staring!?" he yelled.

"Momma?"

Baby Eddie sighed. "Alright. Obviously words ain't the way to go about this..." he grumbled. One of the robots shoulders suddenly opened up, revealing a set of missiles. Baby Eddie smiled. "Alright- Night, night!" he yelled. The missiles fired simultaneously, each one of them landing directly into Dr Moists chest. They sank into the algae for a moment, and then- exploded. Dr Moist was ripped to shreds, as pieces of flaming algae rained down into the charred crater of his remains.

Baby Eddie smiled. "Well, that was easy. Now I guess all I need to do is clean all the crud up- I guess I'll hire somebody to do that... Then, I'll just destroy a few military bases, and crown myself Emperor of Europe!" he announced. "The world can wait until after my nap..."

As Baby Eddie continued to monologue (as all villain seemed to), all of the algae began to slowly piece itself together. Just as Baby Eddie was getting the robot ready to walk away and look for a giant blankie to cuddle with- he noticed Dr Moists angry face rising from the ground.

Baby Eddie sighed.

Maybe this wasn't going to be quite as_ fun _as he thought it was.

* * *

Time had passed very slowly for everybody, as Jimmy and Evil Jimmy worked at building whatever it was that they were building to defend themselves against the Algae-Giants. During the time they had spent working in silence, Sheen had told everybody about his adventures with the lasers, meeting Jet Fusion again, and a couple of lies involving Ultralord and the worlds biggest pizza.

Finally, Jimmy turned to face everybody, with a wealth of what looked like weapons all piled on top of one another behind him. "Alright, everybody! We've just finished creating the weapons... Carl? Would you come over here for a moment?" he asked. Carl nodded obediently, and made his way over to his friend. Evil Jimmy quietly helped Carl to strap what looked like a big plastic container onto his back. The container was connected with a hose to what looked like a big black rifle. Carl gulped. "Um... I'm not going to be able to accidentally disintegrate everything with this... am I?" he asked.

Jimmy was about to say something- before he was interrupted by Sheen. "Wow! Awesome! Jimmy- did you build us _flamethrowers!?_" he yelled.

Cindy, Betty and Nick looked at Jimmy with looks of equal concern, while Libby merely rolled her eyes.

"Of course not, Sheen! Carl? Aim the weapon at the algae on the wall over there." said Jimmy. Carl frowned. "Are you sure, Jimmy? I was thinking about saving that for later- you know, in case I needed a snack or something..." he mumbled. Jimmy crossed his arms and frowned at him. Carl sighed.

"Aw... alright."

Carl aimed the weapon at the algae on the wall, and pulled the trigger. A massive stream of orange goo leapt out of the barrel, splattering all over the algae. Slowly, it began to fizzle. And then, the orange goo and the algae seemed to mix together, and fade away in a purple mist.

"Wow... what just happened, Neutron?" asked Nick.

Jimmy cleared his throat. "Well, I managed to synthesis a few different alien chemicals together into an orange paste- it should turn the algae, and only the algae- into a harmless gas." he explained. "Oh, really? What kind of gas?" asked Cindy. Jimmy coughed. "Um... excuse me?" he asked. Cindy frowned. "I asked you... what kind of gas?" she growled.

Jimmy looked nervous. "Well... I mean- it shouldn't be harmful to the enviroment or to the inhabitants..." he muttered. Cindy put her hands on her hips, and scowled at him. "Okay, okay... so the gas is kind of a mystery to me as of now... Look- I checked it out for any kind of harmful substance, and it appears to be completely clean. In fact- it seems to be mostly... _sugar_." he explained.

Before Cindy could yell at him for his carelessness and general stupidity- Sheen interrupted her. "Cool! Let's all go out and fight! I've always wanted to spray orange all over a giant monster! Of course, I always imagined using cheese-whizz, but this is cool too!" he yelled.

Evil Jimmy smiled. "Well that's real nice, doc. But unfortunately it's lookin' to be about time I went back home." he said. Jimmy frowned. "Really? And where _is_ your 'home'?" he asked. Evil Jimmy shrugged. "The Dark Matter dimension, of course." he said. "And how to do you propose to get there?" asked Jimmy. Evil Jimmy grinned. "Well- there's a nice little wormhole in the middle of the city that I can use." he said. With that, he turned around and made his way over to the exit.

"Alright- au revoir, chumps!" said Evil Jimmy. He was just about to leave, when he felt something grab his shirt sleeve. He turned around to see who it was; and scowled.

It was Betty.

"You're really just going to leave?" she demanded. Evil Jimmy nodded. "Uh-huh. I don't know if you know this, dollface- but us evil guys; we don't like bein' helpful. And I've already been far too.. _helpful..."_ he spat. "So, I'll be on my way."

Betty frowned, and let go of him. "Fine..." she mumbled.

Evil Jimmy left without another word.

Silence fell over the group. Jimmy cleared his throat. "Come on guys, pick up your weapons. We have a city to save." he said.

* * *

Dr Moist swung his fist at the giant robot, the impact shook the ground, as the robot was sent flying through the air, through a few buildings and museums. Baby Eddie growled, as he began to move the controls as fast as possible. The robot stood itself up slowly, just in time for Dr Moist to make his way over to where he had crashed. The robot launched another set of missiles at him. This time- Dr Moist began to spit massive globs of algae out of every part of his body- each one meeting a missile in mid-air. The result was a flurry of massive explosions in the air. Like a gooier version of the fourth of July.

As the battle raged on, Baby Eddie slowly ran through every weapon in his arsenal.

The wrist loaded flamethrower caused Dr Moist to scream in pain, until he managed to open his mouth wide- and bite the robots hand off. With a triumphant swallow, Dr Moist picked the robot up, and threw him across the city. The robot tumbled through the vast majority of London's most important buildings and sites- narrowly missing the royal palace.

This was about when the army showed up to make life much more difficult for the both of them.

There were about a dozen jet fighters racing through the sky, sending a rain of bullets down onto both Dr Moist, and Baby Eddie's giant robot. Baby Eddie snarled. He pressed a small button on the control panel, and two giant booster rockets suddenly came out of the robots back. Eddie flew the robot through the air as carefully as he could, dodging the bullets and the missiles as he did. Eventually, he flew as close to one of the jet fighters as he could- and just as the pilot pushed the eject button, the robot grabbed the rocket in its hands and crushed it. Then it threw the ball of crushed metal at another one of the jets. The collided with a loud 'smash!', and the jet spun wildly out of control- finally landing on the goo slicked streets, in a smoking heap.

Dr Moist was busy taking care of the others- spitting globs of algae at them and swiping at them like he was some kind of giant movie monster.

Baby Edde grinned, as he landed the robot carefully on the ground. He quickly launched himself at Dr Moist, wrapping both of his arms around him as he crashed into the ground. Now laying directly on top of the algae giant Dr Moist, the robot began balled its hands into fists and began punching Dr Moist in the face with everything it had. Eddie grunted, as he moved the controls to hit Dr Moist again. And again. And again.

Suddenly, one of his fists got stuck. The robot tried to pull its fist out of Dr Moists face- but it was too late. Dr Moist grinned, as he slowly opened his mouth.

Eddie knew where this was going. He quickly ran out of the control room and crammed himself into the escape pod. He pressed a small button, and the pod burst out of the robots back, just as Dr Moist began to swallow it whole. Once the giant robot had completely disappeared into his mouth, Dr Moist gave a loud burp- that shook the very Earth.

The escape pod rocketed into the air, twisted about- and then plummeted into the streets. The hatch opened, and Baby Eddie crawled out, coughing and sputtering.

He was about to stand himself up, and run as far away from the giant Dr Moist as he possibly could- when he felt something in the back of his head. There was somebody there... He frowned, and turned around.

Evil Jimmy was standing there, grinning to himself. A thick black smoke seemed to be leaking out of his pores.

"Hey there, kid. I just thought I'd get you to fill in a few blanks... that sound good to you, doc?" he asked. Baby Eddie trembled. "Wha-... Your that evil clone of Jimmy... aren't you? H-... How are you able to control dark matter like that!?" he demanded. Evil Jimmy chuckled.

"I'll be asking the questions here, doc." he said. All of a sudden, the black smoke began to twist into tendrils, and launched themselves at Baby Eddie. He tried to struggle, as the black smoke wrapped itself around his entire body.

"Don't worry, doc. I'm just gonna peek inside your memories..." said Evil Jimmy. He smiled, as he watched Baby Eddie flailing about in the smoke. "Now, now- I promise... It ain't gonna hurt one... little... _bit_."

* * *

_To be continued..._

* * *

_(**AN**: Okay- It took me a little longer than usual to post this one- 'cuz it needed a little work. It still does, frankly- but I kinda wanted to move on. So, here it is. Next chapter will come soon. I still really appreciate the feedback from you guys. So- read and review! It helps me get motivated and stuff...)_


	22. Chapter 21

_Chapter Twenty-One: Jimmy Neutron and the Attack of the Algae-Giants, Part 3_

Baby Eddie had been keeping an eye on a video surveillance feed of Eustace Strych for a few months now. In fact, he had satellite cameras trained on all of the members of the now disbanded League of Villains.

Professor Calamitous was currently trapped in a small shoe box, being kept as a pet by Carl Wheezer. And although he complained, he had his own hamster wheel and two bowls- one for food and one for water; so it wasn't like it was any worse than jail.

Beautiful Georgous was off pretending to be a supermodel and actress somewhere in Hollywood Land. She seemed to be doing pretty well for herself too. She took a limo wherever she wanted, and she had taken to wearing sunglasses so that she wasn't blinded by the paparazzi's constantly flashing cameras. For some reason they all seemed to prefer to use old fashioned flash-bulbs instead of digital cameras or cell phones.

Grandma Taters had been busy brainwashing the inhabitants of Mars, so it didn't look like she was going to show up again any time soon.

King Goobot had reunited with his estranged brother, Ooblar. And was currently sitting on his throne on planet Yolkus, planning out the various ways he could destroy Jimmy Neutron. The citizens of Yolkus would complain that they had problems beyond one little human boy. Like finding a new god, restoring their crops and fighting off the giant birds who kept on attacking the city. Goobot ignored them, and went back to his devising. Much to the chagrin of his people.

The Junk-Man was the hardest one to track down. He kept flying from galaxy to galaxy, stealing things and selling them to the people of the next galaxy for triple the price. Every now and again, he would have video-chats with Beautiful Georgous, during which the word 'shnooky-woogums' would be used to an incredibly annoying degree.

And finally, there was the three traitors. Zix, Travoltron and Tee. They seemed to be making a life for themselves going around as 'Heroes for Hire', doing good deeds at a reasonable price. Out of all the villains, the Space Bandits seemed to be the happiest.

Baby Eddie didn't dwell on that. Instead, he chose to observe Eustace Strych with a keen eye. Because out of all the villains, his plans seemed the most... interesting. He had been doing research on 'Dark Matter'. An odd kind of matter that could be found in any range of form- from crystalline, to gas. Only one thing remained the same. Dark Matter was always the darkest shade of black. And no matter how much it was observed, it always seemed to be made out of... nothing.

It was basically anti-matter. Which was, of course; impossible. But then, there it was. Right in front of them.

Baby Eddie had gone as far as to steal a sample of Dark Matter from Eustace Strych's newest fake company; 'Always Ethical Industries'. Which promoted itself as a state of the art technology provider, but was actually a giant underground lab where Eustace paid thousands of scientists billions of dollars to research Dark Matter. One of those scientists was a particularly twitchy one known as Dr Moist, who was better known for his studies into mutated algae. But- he needed the money to finance a fancy new idea he had...

It was only after Baby Eddie had stolen a piece of the Dark Matter, that he found out about its after effects, namely; Dark Matter Poisening. A disease that seemed to fuse itself with the hosts very consciousness, interfere with the thought process- and eventually cause the body to shut down and turn to dust.

Baby Eddie found himself coming down with symptoms almost immediately. And then; Eustace Strych suddenly disappeared. And after a while, Baby Eddie decided to disguise himself as the billionaire boy, and take his place. And with all of the money and technology in the world at his finger tips, he did everything he could to find a cure for Dark Matter Poisening. But no matter how much research he did- he never found a single clue. And as he toiled away, Dr Moist had completed his experiments behind his back.

After finding out that Dr Moist had kidnapped Jimmy Neutrons so-called 'crush', Betty Quinlin- Baby Eddie managed to capture an undercover spy, and hypnotize him into killing his greatest enemy. He failed, and more than that- he suddenly came down with what Eddie later found out was an algae related condition of Dr Moist's design.

Baby Eddie quickly managed to synthesis a cure, and rid Jet Fusion of the disease. And then, Eddie gave him a new target. Dr Moist, and all of his Algae research in Always Ethical Industries. Baby Eddie was ready to let Eustace Strych's empire burn down, and move on. Unfortunately, Dr Moist had made a move to take over the world. And even after fighting him with a giant robot of his own design- Baby Eddie had failed.

* * *

Evil Jimmy removed the black smoke from Eddies face, and walked away- pondering the information he had just received. He had caught wind of Dr Moist's ploy to kidnap Betty, and he had almost stopped it- only to be captured. And that was it.

The whole story.

Evil Jimmy frowned. He had been hoping for more than that- but, oh well. Back to the mindless carnage.

* * *

Betty held her breath. The ground was trembling with every step that the giant took. They didn't seem very aware of their surroundings- they would occasionally bump into buildings or step on cars. But it couldn't hurt to try and stay as invisible as she could.

She was hiding behind one of the goo covered cars, holding her weapon tightly against her chest. Jimmy had suggested that they split up and handle one giant each- so as to get rid of them as quickly as possible. She and Nick had protested- but everybody else agreed, and the majority won. Betty frowned. It actually surprised her a little that Jimmy had even given everybody else something to do in the first place- usually he would try to take it all on by himself.

Betty grit her teeth. They had agreed to meet up back at the Always Ethical building once they received the signal that at least the vast majority of the Algae-Giants had been taken care of. There was about a dozen of them, and Jimmy, herself and the others counted up to eight- including Goddard. This meant that some members of the group would probably end up fighting off more than one of them. Betty guessed that it would be Jimmy and Cindy who would get the most- although Sheen did have a habit of causing more destruction than one would think possible.

There were few more loud and squishy thumps, as the Algae-Giant passed by Betty's hiding place. Its back was turned, and it was just a few steps away. This was the time.

She made her way out into the middle of the street- being careful not to slip over on all of the goo. She aimed her Goo-Propeller up towards the back of the Algae-Giants head, and fired. A massive stream of orange goo shot out of the weapon at an incredible speed. Betty had to grit her teeth and hold on as best she could- otherwise the pressure threatened to fling her weapon out of control.

The Algae-Giant let out a deafening scream, as it's head began to melt under the stream of orange goo. Betty could feel her heart beat go through the roof. Unlike everybody else in the group, she had never really had to deal with a giant monster before. Her family had been out of town for both of the Yolkian attacks, she had heard second hand about the giant green Miss Fowl incident- the only giant monsters she had ever seen in person was the giant evil Goddard attack, and the time Jimmy turned himself into a giant green octopus. And in those instances- she only had to run.

The Algae-Giant slowly began to turn itself around. Betty bit her lip. Every part of her wanted to run. But she couldn't. Not just because the monster had yet to be defeated- but because, she reasoned, if she ran- she would probably just slip over on the goo in an instant.

It would be a waste of time. So, she stood her ground, even as the monster took another big step closer. The monster had melted down to the halfway point, as it drew dangerously close. Suddenly, the half-giant collapsed, landing directly on top of her with a loud 'splash!'.

Betty stood there, covered in goo. Slowly, it began to fade away- as did all of the Algae-Giants remains. Betty put her weapon on her shoulder, and sighed.

One down.

* * *

Nick Dean had been given a fairly important job. And if he was honest with himself- he had no idea why Jimmy would give him such a job. Basically, he was supposed to try to melt down the Algae-Giant that was guarding the giant green barrier that was holding the citizens of London. And then- he was supposed to melt down the barrier once he had received notification that the Algae-Giants had been taken care of.

By the time he finally made it to the algae-barrier, and he could her the echoes of people complaining loudly from inside- he found that the entire place was completely unguarded. He frowned at that. 'Did Neutron just stick me with guard duty?' he wondered to himself. That made him more than a little angry. After all- it wasn't like he was the least capable member of the group- that designation had to go to Carl, didn't it?

He frowned. Then- he heard the sound of a giant footstep behind him.

'Oh. I guess Neutron does trust me to take on a giant monster made of algae. Funny how I don't feel particularly happy about that.' he thought to himself, as he turned to face a very angry Algae-Giant. Nick gulped, and aimed his weapon at the monster. He was about to fire- when the Algae-Giant took a swipe at him.

Nick moved quickly- and managed to jump out of the way in time. The Algae-Giant growled. This time, it lifted its foot into the air, and stomped down at him. Nick started running- only to find himself slipping around in the goo. The Algae-Giant roared in frustration as it continued it's attacks on him. Nick slipped over again- and this time he managed to slip straight into a wall. The Algae-Giant balled its hand into a big green fist, and brought it down at him. Nick pushed himself against the wall, and slipped away- just as the Algae-Giant's fist ripped through the building.

Nick gulped, and aimed his weapon up at it one more time. He pulled the trigger- sending an orange stream straight onto the monster's stomach. He grit his teeth as the Algae-Giant let out another ear-shattering howl. Nick stopped the spray as the Algae-Giant took another swipe at him- and aimed for its legs.

The Algae-Giant collapsed quickly, as its legs seemed to fade away into the air. Nick sprayed the goo all over it as well as he could- and soon enough, there was no trace of the monster left. Nick sighed, and wiped the sweat off of his forehead.

"RRRRAAAAARRRRGH!"

Nick gulped, and turned around. And there- standing just down the street from him- were two more Algae-Giants. Nick looked down at his weapon, and then back at them.

"Alright, y'know what? Just bring it on." he grumbled.

* * *

It was pretty easy for Jimmy to tell that the Algae-Giants were already being dispatched with what seemed like relative ease. He could here un-earthly screams coming from all over the city. He took a deep breath, as he ran as best as he could- towards the very center of the city.

There had been reports of things going missing around one spot in London for the past few months. Jimmy had been keeping an eye on the stories before he had lost his memory- and during the short time he spent as an amnesiac, he remembered seeing a report about it on the news.

It was, supposedly- a tiny wormhole in the middle of an alleyway. Whatever went in there- people, animals or the occasional piece of trash somebody might throw in there- it would always disappear in an instant. And Jimmy had come across some information in the Always Ethical data files, that suggest that the wormhole might be something more than a simple rip in time and space.

He had found a journal. Written by the founder of Always Ethical Industries; Eustace Strych. The wormhole had only started to make the news after Eustace Strych had disappeared. And Jimmy had a theory. A crazy one. But if he was right, then that so-called wormhole might be a greater source of danger than the Algae Giants, or Dr Moist.

Jimmy made it to the alleyway, and took a deep breath.

He took a few steps inside. Sure enough, he could see a few tiny ripples in the air. It was invisible to the human eye- which was probably why it hadn't been put under real investigation by the government just yet.

"Aw, wow. Found it already, huh?"

Jimmy didn't so much as flinch. Instead, he turned to face his evil clone with a grim look on his face. "What're you doing here?" asked Jimmy. Evil Jimmy shrugged. "I can use dark matter to peer into a persons mind- but you know that already. Anyway, it turns out that your little cousin is here, doc. He's a real piece of work." he said.

Jimmy frowned. "What was doing here?" he asked.

"Oh, you know- pretending to be Eustace Strych- using his assets as his own, that kind of thing." said Evil Jimmy. "But... I spoke to his father... it was a little while ago now, but- he knew that Eustace was missing. If Baby Eddie was pretending to be him... how did Mister Strych know that he was missing?" asked Jimmy.

"Well, I dunno, doc. Maybe Strych's father contacted you in the time between Eustace's disappearance, and Eddie comin' along to take his place." said Evil Jimmy.

"I suppose that's feasible... But- never mind that. What are _you _still doing here, Evil Jimmy? Shouldn't you be heading back to your dark little dimension?" asked Jimmy.

Evil Jimmy bared his teeth as he smiled. "Oh, sure. I could probably get there through that little portal right there. But unfortunately- _something _is stopping me." he growled.

Jimmy rolled his eyes. "If I had to geuss, would I get it right?" he asked.

Evil Jimmy scowled. "Probably, _doc_." he growled.

Jimmy smiled, but decided to leave the subject alone. He didn't really like discussing matters of the heart with anybody- least of all his own evil clone. So, he changed the subject.

After one little poke.

"How many pictures of Betty Quinlin do you have?" he asked.

Evil Jimmy squirmed, scowled, flinched and growled all in the span of a second. "You shut your mouth, _goody two-shoes_." he hissed. "Look- do you want me to tell you about the next plot point, or what!?"

Jimmy frowned. "What is it?"

"It's about the_ Dark Matter_. It's _always _been about _Dark Matter_."

* * *

Sheen and Carl were sliding down the streets as fast as they could- as if they were ice skating on the thick layer of green goo that covered the streets. This would have been a time of joy for the boys any other time. They both shared a weakness for goo. They loved it. Carl loved eating it- and Sheen liked playing with it. But at that moment, they weren't using the goo as another means of enjoying their day.

No, this time- they were using it as a means of escape.

"SKATE FASTER, CARL!" yelled Sheen.

"I'M DOING MY BEST!" yelled Carl.

Behind them, was a gang of six massive Algae-Giants. One of them was covered in orange goo- and it finally dissolved after a few seconds. But even after that one fell- there was still five left. And they all looked very angry.

This had all started when sheen had managed to find his first Algae-Giant. As soon as he saw it- he let the goo fly as he laughed like a maniac. Unfortunately- he hadn't noticed the Algae Giants standing right behind him. And once he did- he ran. When he ran into Carl- he was initially relieved. And then- he realised that Carl was being chased by three Algae-Giants of his own.

As they shot car-sized chunks of algae at them, the boys did their best to weave around them.

They were sliding around for quite a while, while the group of Algae-Giants chased after them- climbing over the bigger buildings, and trampling the smaller ones.

"Need some help, boys!?"

Carl and Sheen looked up into the air- and in doing so, they both lost their balance and ended up rolling over into the gutter. In the air, was a rocket ship. Goddard was driving it- with his jaw firly gripped on the steering wheel, while Cindy hung over the side- holding her weapon. "TAKE THIS!" she bellowed, as she released a stream of orange down onto the group of Algae-Giants from the sky.

The rocket was traveling too fast- and it was designed to hover in place. So Goddard had to spin the rocket around the giant green creatures, as Cindy did her best to keep the weapon trained on them.

The Algae-Giants screamed, as the orange goo rained down on them. Slowly, their body's began to fade away. "ALRIGHT, GODDARD! TAKE US DOWN! I'M GETTING DIZZY!" yelled Cindy. As the Algae-Giants melted into a big pile of green goo and slowly faded away, Goddard landed the rocket in the street.

Sheen and Carl raced up to them, just as Cindy made her way out of the rocket in a dizzy haze. "Cindy! Aw, that was awesome!" yelled Sheen. "Yeah!" yelled Carl. Before she could say anything, both of the goo-covered boys hugged Cindy on both sides. They gave her a big squeeze.

It took Cindy a few seconds to register what was happening. Then- "TOO CLOSE!" she bellowed, as she pushed them away with all of her might. The boys skidded away, and stood themselves up. "Hey, what's Goddard doing with you, Cindy?" asked Sheen.

Cindy frowned. They were both acting as if what had just happened was perfectly natural. She shuddered. "Neutron told Goddard to come with me. I _told_ him that I didn't need any back up- but I guess it worked out, didn't it boy?" she asked, giving Goddard a scratch behind the ears.

"Bark! Bark!"

Carl frowned. "Wait, but... shouldn't Goddard be with Jimmy? I mean... that's how it usually is..." muttered Carl. Sheen nodded. "Yeah, I mean- even if he's hopelessly in love with her and whatever, it's kinda weird. I mean, Cindy's totally battle-ready all the time. He knows that..." he said, with a frown.

"You don't think he's... doing something all by himself again, do you?" asked Carl. Sheen shrugged. "That's probably it." he said. Cindy grit her teeth, and tried her best to get rid of the redness that was rising to her face. She cleared her throat, and tried to delete one of the things that Sheen had just said from her memory.

"Wha-... What're you dorks talking about?" she asked.

Carl and Sheen had just opened their mouths to speak- when a loud ringing filled the air. Goddard barked, and opened his mouth.

"Hello? Jimmy? Goddard?"

Sheen blinked. "Hey... why's Libby's voice comin' out of Goddard? Goddard! Did you eat her!? How many things I love must you chew on before your satisfied!?" he bellowed.

"Yeah, Goddard. Eating Libby's almost as bad as that time you ate my can of Llama-Safe Soda before I was even finished with it!" said Carl.

"I'm not _ate_, you _morons_- and what do you mean _almost _as bad, Carl!?" Libby's voice demanded. Carl cleared his throat. "Um... Did you need something?" he asked.

"Well, yeah- I guess. Is Jimmy there?" asked Libby.

"I'm here, Libs. What the sitch'?" asked Cindy.

"The _what_?"

"Never mind. What's going on?"

Libby took a deep breath. "Well... I found Dr Moist. He's um, absorbed a few of the Algae-Giants, and he's getting to be a little bit bigger than the others." she said.

"How much bigger?" asked Carl.

All of a sudden, there was a loud 'BOOM!'. Cindy, Sheen, Carl and Goddard looked up at the sky. A massive green creature was rising up, and up, and up. Touching the clouds, and blocking out the sun.

"RAAAAH HAH HAH HAH! I AM MEGA MOOOOIST!" it bellowed.

"Yeah, so... _really _big."

* * *

_To be continued..._

* * *

_(AN: A short chapter this time; the next one might by just as short, or a whole lot longer. We'll just have to see, huh? I wanna thank the people who have been reviewing my story a dozen times over. Thanks. Seriously. The next one will be up... soon.)_


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